heart of mankind
by bane95
Summary: Orihime hoped for a peaceful school break, but someone else has plans for her. demons from hell attack the world of living looking for Orihime.
1. Chapter 1

The day was bright and sunny illuminating the snow that covered everything around in a blinding white sparkling sheen. The birds sang their joyful melody as usual on a day like this but Orihime saw none of it as she made her way to school. They d been back for four weeks now but nothing was the same for her; not that anyone really ever noticed. Orihime had become very good at hiding her real feelings behind a mask of smiles.

Orihime was anxious to get this day over with because it was the last day of school and Winter break begins. Orihime won t have to smile when she doesn t want to and pretend a happiness she doesn t feel. During actual class studies Orihime doesn t have to worry about it so much because she can hide in the studies; it was during recesses and lunch she had to make everyone around her think all was as usual.

The haunting horrified voice of a female Arrancar questions What are you Echoing constantly through Orihime s head followed by you re a monster. Usually what follows that are visions of the monster Ichigo being called forth from the dead by her cries killing every one of their friends. They were merely nightmares at first but now pieces of those nightmares are day visions of a horrid past; a past Orihime can t forget. The worse of them were those sad green eyes staring as though pleading with her for help; yet she could do nothing.

When the bell rang signifying the end of the day Orihime quickly gathered her stuff and left school headed for home; she didn t even wait to walk home with her friends or even say good by to anyone. Orihime has had a feeling of being watched ever since she d returned but something was different this day. The air turned thick and smelled rancid like something dead and rotting; it seemed to be coming from all directions.

Orihime felt dizzy and the street began twisting and turning in strange directions making her unbalanced. She could hear people screaming and yelling but what she saw was skeletons walking around in rags that may have been clothing at some point in time. The skeletons turned and began converging on her when Orihime suddenly felt a huge pressure that was familiar but had no time to think on it as the skeletons reached out for -

skeleton s hand grabbed Orihime s wrist as a huge shadow quickly moved overhead. A black object smashed the skeleton s wrist that held Orihime then she was grabbed and lifted into the air. Orihime was trying to hold onto consciousness as the dizziness overwhelmed her but between the stench, dizziness, spirit pressure and speed with which they were traveling; it was just too much.

In the Soul Society, alarms went off alerting them to unknown trouble in Karakura Town and a confirmed somewhat familiar Spiritual pressure signature they believe may be the cause. This created an even bigger stir because the Spiritual pressure signature in question didn t descend from the sky but actually materialized just outside of the trouble spot and disappeared somewhere on the other end.

Ichigo and Chad walking the same path merely twenty minutes later find s themselves in a one block area of dead humans that littered the street. They stop walking as their eyes widens at the carnage in front of them; the stench of dead rotted corpses fills the air. Before they could even voice their shock they are met by Vice-Captain Renji, Rukia, Captain Hitsugaya and Vice Captain Matsumoto.

Captain Hitsugaya fills them in quickly with the information they have and then together begin walking the length of the block. "An Arrancar Espada Class you say? But this doesn t look like an Arrancar s doing; I don t even see any holes in these people anywhere that Arrancar s give their victims." Ichigo stated looking at the many dead bodies on the ground.

Captain Hitsugaya looks about with a measure of anger" In the past we have encountered soul sucking Hollows and we know of one Arrancar that you -"

Captain Hitsugaya was interrupted by Chad s wide eyes and the emergency tone in his voice" Ichigo look; isn t that Orihime s?"

On the ground not five feet in front of them lay Orihime s book bag and purse. Ichigo retrieved them from the ground looking around to see if her body was among those in the area. His brief relief at not seeing her body among the dead now led to questions. Ichigo quickly began running to Orihime s house.

Uncharacteristically the front door was not locked when Ichigo, Chad and the others arrived; normally Orihime kept her door locked. Ichigo opened the door and yelled her name as he entered.

Orihime opened her eyes upon hearing Ichigo and the others enter and sat up" What s wrong?" She asked rubbing her eyes to see clearer. Upon seeing the others with him Orihime looked puzzled then looked around her surroundings and then shook her head." I had the strangest dream just now" She said before returning her attention to Ichigo and the others.

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	2. Chapter 2

Captain Hitsugaya just finished gathering Spiritual pressure from Orihime s wrist and clothing to send to the Soul Society for analysis." I m hoping this will give us more information on just what did happen out there today. I need the report as soon as possible." Captain Hitsugaya said before closing his communications device.

Orihime was confused now as well as sad. She d wanted to have these two weeks alone to sort out her own problems; not to mention having to keep pretending was wearing her down. She was hoping they would all be leaving soon so she could relax; but when Captain Hitsugaya uncovered the big screen two way communication device they d left in her room, she knew they wouldn t be leaving anytime soon.

Depression mounting Orihime left the room to begin making dinner in the kitchen while the others talked. It was hard enough coping with her normal nightmares but this new one that may be no nightmare at all had her upset as well. If it was real then who saved me?

Captain Hitsugaya watched Orihime leave the room" She remembers the incident as a dream. What she described sounds like something from the underworld; yet we know there was an Arrancar involved in this somehow."

Ichigo looked astounded as well as confused" The Underworld and Hueco Mundo are two totally different places. I can t picture the two working together and besides; why pull Orihime out of there when everyone else was being killed? It just doesn t add up. -"

Rukia had been looking carefully around the room they were in studying everything in it for clues of any kind" Obviously Orihime wasn t meant to be there or she d be dead too. "Her voice seemed cold even for Rukia; then she turned toward them "The Underworld usually comes for those that have committed grievous crimes against humanity without remorse. They don t normally take souls in mass like we saw today. Either we are meant to think the Underworld did this by someone trying to hide their crimes or something has terribly gone wrong."

Meanwhile people all around Karakura Town began arguing and fighting among themselves. By that evening the hospitals and clinics were filled beyond capacity and the police department unable to keep up with it all. The reports to the Soul Society from other Shinigami s stationed around the town were frantic and fragmented.

The large screen in the room began flickering on to reveal Commander Yamamoto" The situation there has gotten worse. We ve been receiving reports from every location of chaos. The test results are finished. It is as we feared, the Spiritual pressure found on Orihime s wrist was in deed that of an Underworld Spirit. The other however is in fact an Arrancar s Spirit pressure of a very powerful Espada class. I believe this Arrancar to be even more powerful then those we had encountered during the war."

This news raised every eyebrow and widened every eye in the room" An Espada more powerful?" Captain Hitsugaya questioned with trepidation" A Vasco Lordas?"

Commander Yamamoto grunted" It is possible considering we never actually saw one during the war; even though Aizen claimed they existed. In any case this Arrancar seems to have taken a special interest in Inoue Orihime. Watch her closely and be careful. -"

Ichigo immediately took offense to the Commander s words" Just what the hell do you mean by that? You make it sound as if Orihime is responsible for this or something?"

Vice-Captain Renji placed his hand firmly on Ichigo s shoulder" Easy Kurosaki Itchigo. Don t worry Commander we ll make sure Inoue Orihime remains safe."

Rukia rounded on Ichigo as soon as the screen went blank " You have got to bridle that temper of yours Ichigo and learn to talk to people with respect."

Vice-Captain Renji added " Rukia s right. You won t get anywhere if you keep getting angry every time someone says something you don t like."

Captain Hitsugaya rolled his eyes" you re one to talk Renji." Shaking his head he said "Commander Yamamoto is right; that Arrancar did save Orihime s life today which means it did so for a reason. The question is why and why was it here to begin with?"

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	3. Chapter 3

The only one that heard Captain Hitsugaya was his Vice Captain Matsumoto standing behind him. The other three were arguing so loudly in each other s faces they couldn t hear anything over their own voices; until Orihime walked through the door with a tray of food and dropped it screaming; No!

Orihime immediately placed her hands over her ears screaming over and over No; as she watched the three arguing in each other s faces. Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Matsumoto watching from the side lines realized too late that something was happening.

The room began to elongate, twist and bend as it began to fill with the putrid smell of death and decay. The three stopped arguing as they too noticed the room changing. Orihime seemed to become further from them with each passing moment; then the skeletons began to appear.

Ichigo couldn t believe his eyes as the skeleton s began converging on Orihime;" Bankai!" He and the others said preparing to battle the skeletons; placing themselves between the distraught Orihime and the skeletons. To their amazement the skeletons stopped their advancement as though not willing to cross the boundaries of the Shiginamis that circled around between them and Orihime. It seemed to be a stalemate so long as they kept Orihime surrounded.

Ichigo had a sinking feeling as he turned to look at Orihime; the floor beneath her was beginning to disappear beneath her. Ichigo quickly backed up scooped Orihime up with his left arm suspending her in the air with him; "You can t have her!"

Renji looked around; "We need to get Inoue out of here."

Ichigo smiled;" Yeah and I think I know just the place to go. Come on follow me guys." tchigo said as he took Orihime with him out of a nearby window.

Urahara and Tessi were waiting for them when they arrived at his candy shop. "I figured you d get here sooner or later; Tessi take Orihime." Without another word he and Tessi went into the house end of the shop to a room that was already set up and waiting. The only thing in the room was a see through container the size of a coffin where Tessi places the now unconscious body of Orihime; then placed the lid securely in place.

Ichigo s eyes widened in shock;" What the hell do you think you re doing?"

Urahara looked at Ichigo sorrowfully; "This is for everyone s protection Ichigo. I noticed a change in Orihime after the war. I had hoped I was wrong but I can see now I should have done this the moment I saw the change."

Ichigo couldn t believe his ears; "What the hell are you saying Urahara; that she s -"

Urahara finished the sentence for him; "The cause of all of this; yes I m afraid so. Something happened in Hueco Mundo Itchigo; do you have any idea what it was? If I knew that much I might be able to do something to fix the situation."

Ichigo knelt down beside the clear coffin staring at Orihime s sleeping form. He couldn t believe he d gone out there to Hueco Mundo to bring Orihime home safe only to have her end up in a coffin a few weeks later. With a voice that said even he was haunted by the memories; Ichigo told them everything he knew as he remembered it to be. "Whatever actually did happen while in my Hollow form only Ishida and Orihime knows, but neither would ever speak of it;" he finished with a voice of defeat feeling the pain of despair for the first time.

Ichigo had never doubted Orihime would always be there for him; to heal him and to brighten his days. He couldn t imagine his life without Orihime being a part of it. He d always taken it for granted Orihime would be in his life forever; and forever a part of his world.

They had been a team for a year or more now; Ishida, Chad, Orihime, Rukia and him and Ichigo wasn t ready to let that go. Ichigo finding renewed determination decided Orihime wasn t going to stay in that coffin if he had any say in the matter." I swear to you Orihime; I will find a way to make you well again. You won t stay in that coffin!"

Everyone there had heard Ichigo s oath and in knowing his resolve also knew Ichigo would search for all eternity till he found the cure for Orihime s problem; they groaned." Renji; find Ishida and get him over here. I don t care if you ve got to bound and gage him; just get him here. "Ichigo turned toward Rukia;" Rukia, you and the others go back to Orihime s house and check everywhere for some shred of information that might give us a clue as to just what we are looking for."

Urahara looked at Ichigo; "What are you going to do Ichigo? -"

Ichigo looked at Urahara with deadly eyes; "Whatever it takes to get Orihime out of this coffin and back at our side again."

Inside the coffin Orihime sleeps reliving her nightmare over and over with the added attraction of skeletons chasing her through Karakura Town; a never ending loop in an existence of despair.

Later that evening Renji returned with a very angry Ishida; "This had better be good Kurosaki Ichigo or I m likely to kill you."

Without a word Ichigo grabbed Ishida by the collar and drug him to the room where Orihime s body resides in a see through coffin;" Good enough reason for you Ishida?"

Ishida was stunned into silence as he looked at the seemingly peaceful body of Orihime lying in the coffin with hands folded together across her abdomen. "What the hell is going on? -"

Just then Rukia and the others returned and everyone joined Ishida and Ichigo in what for now is being called the coffin room. Ishida was horrified as he listened to Ichigo s explanation of what happened to Orihime while staring at her unmoving form. "Let me see if I m getting this right. You re telling me that Orihime s powers have become unstable causing the entire town of Karakura to go berserk with fighting, rioting and killing? And on top of all of that some demons from the Underworld are also after her?"

Ishida shook his head; "Have you any idea how ridiculous that sounds; Ichigo? Orihime s powers aren t even that strong."

Urahara looked at Ishida;" Actually Orihime s powers have increased remarkably because of Hueco Mundo. But this change she brought back from Hueco Mundo is the cause of the currant problems here in Karakura Town. We know that Orihime was on her way home from school when the Underworld hit a one block area between your school and her house. We also have proof Orihime was there during the attack. -"

Ishida looked at Urahara questioningly;" If Orihime was there how did she escape?"

Captain Hitsugaya answered with a hint of irony in his voice; "We found traces of Spiritual pressure from the Underworld and from an Arrancar. We believe an Arrancar helped her escape the first attack. The second attack was at Orihime s house. Agents of the Underworld tried to take Orihime from us by dissolving the floor beneath her rather then crossing our blades."

Ishida shook his head; "Are you listening to yourselves talk? Can you even hear what you re saying? First off; why the hell would any Arrancar help any of us after we slaughtered them in the war? Secondly; give me one solid good reason why the Underworld would even be interested in Orihime since she has done no harm to anyone; including the enemy?" Ishida chuckled;" You can t because none of it makes any sense! -"

Urahara smiled sadly;" Ishida; we all want to believe that but facts say otherwise even if we can t explain why. Orihime came back changed from Hueco Mundo. You, Ichigo and Orihime were all changed somehow. Ichigo recognizes the change too but has no memory of what caused it. You know though don t you Ishida? You re a man of high intelligence and a great deal of sense. We need to know what happened."

Ishida turned to face a blank wall; "Ask Orihime." He told then with a tone that said he didn t want to discuss it.

Ichigo looked at Ishida; "I can t right now and you re the only other person that knows what actually happened out there on top of the Los Notches dome. I can t fix it if I don t know what to fix."

Ishida looked at Ichigo as though he were a mad man; "Fix this is not something anyone can fix; unless you can turn back time and do it differently. -"

Ichigo s face lost all color; "Ishida, what happened up there? "His voice was barely more then a raspy whisper. "All I remember was a hole in my chest that suddenly wasn t anymore, my sword in your stomach and Ulquiorra missing an arm and a leg."

Ishida looked away not wanting to talk about that incident. If that is what caused Orihime s problems he had no one to blame but himself. I should never have taken her up there.

Ichigo knew then that something horrible had happened;" Ishida please, I need to know!" He nearly yelled so filled with dread and impatience.

Ishida looked at Ichigo with irony;" You never could keep that temper of yours in check Ichigo. Always impatient and impetuous;" Ishida took a deep breath. "Yeah I m almost positive Orihime blames herself but it was my fault; I should never have taken her up there. I knew it when I did it; but I took her anyway. -"

Ishida began telling the story from his point of view. "I told Orihime to concern herself only with healing you while I fought Ulquiorra."

Ichigo s shocking look was as priceless as his tone incredulous; "You fought Ulquiorra?"

Ishida ignored Ichigo as he continued his story;" After Ulquiorra took my arm off I heard Orihime scream for you to help her before crying. What rose up from the ground was a monster from the pits of hell. Your Spirit pressure was beyond anything imaginable. You merely waved your Zampaktou at the ground and sent Orihime flying through the air along with anything and everything else that was there. I barely managed to catch Orihime and keep her from hitting rocks."


	4. Chapter 4

Everyone sat quietly listening; having never heard this story as Ishida continued." Ulquiorra tried to talk to you and reason with you but you couldn t hear him. He realized you were a soulless creature and wanted to put you out of your misery. He formed a lance of pure energy and threw it at you but missed. When he tried again you moved instantly to his side surprising the hell out of him. You grabbed the lance and destroyed it with your bare hands while Ulquiorra still held it. Then you slashed him nearly in half before hitting him with a ball of energy that sent debris flying everywhere; blowing away the entire lower half of Ulquiorra s body."

Ishida looked directly at Ichigo now; eye to eye contact." You took your Zampaktou and were going to begin cutting him into pieces so I went to your side hoping to get through to you. I was afraid you wouldn t be human anymore if you kept carving his already broken body; I even told you that as I held your wrist. I got no response but I had to save my friend s soul so I kept trying. That s when you shoved your Zampaktou through my stomach with such force it knocked me several feet back into the rocks."

Ishida then looked at Orihime lying in a clear coffin; "Orihime moved between us when you began to advance on me. She yelled for you to stop. I guess it was her voice maybe but you stopped and stared at her for a long time. The only words you ever spoke you said in a voice that wasn t even recognizable You help you; then you aimed an energy ball at Orihime."

Ichigo not wanting to believe what he s heard shakes his head;" Ok I ve heard enough."

That revelation caused everyone to blanch or flinch and turn whiter then a white sheet. Ishida continued." No you said you had to know and since you now know this you may as well hear the rest." Ishida stated firmly with a hint of anger." That ball of energy would have killed us both if not everyone on that dome. Orihime s shield would never have deflected it. You aimed it directly at Orihime and if Ulquiorra hadn t hit you from behind with his lance we wouldn t be here today."

Ishida turned back to look Ichigo in the eyes once more;" How does one tell their best friend that they care about deeply he nearly killed them and it was their enemy that became their savior; from him? That fact is hard enough for me to come to terms with; I can only imagine what Orihime must be going through. Orihime had never left your side Ichigo. She would have done anything for you, anything; you had only to ask it."

Ichigo closed his eyes against the mental pictures of the truth he knew Ishida spoke. Even though Ichigo has no memory of any of it he knew the mindless and massive power that form possessed. He also knew the truth Ishida spoke about Orihime; she had never stopped believing in him. Now the pain he sensed on the dome that day in Orihime made sense.

A familiar voice spoke from the doorway throwing both Ichigo and Ishida into shock." You tell him as he tells his Arrancar enemy he is becoming human; and hope he understands your meaning. Honesty is best even if they don t want to hear the truth."

The man standing in the doorway walks over to the coffin and with one hand shoves the top to the floor. Reaching down into the coffin the man places his hand over Orihime s heart and breaths a long breath into her face. Everyone in the room stands at the ready watching the man closely.

Ichigo and Ishida say his name simultaneously; "Ulquiorra!"

There was something different about this Ulquiorra standing over Orihime. He was wearing black jeans and a white shirt tucked into the waist band with long sleeves and he didn t have his Arrancar mask on his head. "Time to wake up woman;" he said to Orihime.

Captain Hitsugaya was the first to gain enough composure to ask questions." I take it you are the Arrancar that saved Orihime earlier today?"

Ulquiorra lifted Orihime from the coffin and placed her on the floor kneeling beside her before answering. "Yes I carried her away from the grasp of the Underworld this afternoon. It is interesting my Spiritual pressure still carries the signature of an Arrancar."

Ichigo s eyes widened;" Ulquiorra; where is your mask?"

Ulquiorra answered just as calmly as he d always spoken; "The mask is like yours; I call it when I have need of it."

Orihime s eyes fluttered open to look into the very eyes she d seen so many times in her nightmares;" Ulquiorra?" She whispered.

Ulquiorra looked pointedly at Ichigo; "This woman s heart is her strength and resolve. She must overcome what happened on the dome of Los Notches. We must all help her to do this so she will become even stronger. She is a unique woman with unique abilities; that we have only just begun to see. "Ulquiorra looked back at the wide surprised eyes of Orihime;" Aizen feared nothing because he controlled everything; yet he could not control this woman."

Rukia s eyes widened; "Aizen tried to control Orihime?"

Ulquiorra stood pulling Orihime with him. "Yes; and any normal human female would have been completely under his control. This woman never was and I know that now. She was very good at pretending to be; being quite skilled at pretence this woman must do so often. Judging from the amount of despair in her heart I doubt any of you ever had a clue."

Ichigo was loosing his temper quickly;" Ulquiorra!"

Urahara sensed this and quickly interceded; "This is all very interesting but tell me Ulquiorra is it? Why are you here?"

Ulquiorra looked at each person in the room before looking at Urahara and answering the question; "This woman gave me a precious gift that allowed me to live again and do things right; her heart."

The shocked inhales of breath from everyone in the room told Ulquiorra the people there had no idea what they had. "Can you stand here and tell me you do not have this same gift? Have you not felt her heart reach out to you? If that is true then why did you come to the fifth tower Kurosaki Ichigo? Or you;" Ulquiorra looked at Ishida. "Why did you come to the fifth tower?"

Ulquiorra shook his head; "This woman is the embodiment of love. She can reach out and touch the heart of any man. She will seek to heal the suffering of any man because her heart feels the suffering as though it were her own." Ulquiorra looks at Orihime; "This woman is a guardian of the heart of man. A jewel of the highest and priceless; yet you don t even know what is in your possession. How can you possibly protect adequately what you don t even realize you have?"

Urahara looks astounded;" So you ve made it your mission to protect Inoue Orihime; do I have that right?"

Ulquiorra s words hit Ichigo, Rukia, Chad and Ishida between the eyes. Yes, each one of them felt Orihime s heart cry out in terror that day. It was Orihime s terror that moved them into action against tower five. It was not the scream of her voice but the cry from her heart that each one of them felt; not heard.

Ulquiorra looks back at Urahara;" I believe Aizen realized too late what he had in his possession and when he returns he intends to rectify his mistake."

That statement made every eye grow wide as Captain Hitsugaya spoke rather harshly. "We killed Aizen; or do you have proof otherwise?"

Ulquiorra looked pointedly at the Captain;" Aizen had powers beyond even your imagination Shinigami. There was a machine hidden in an underground cavern in the old building ruins that resurrected whoever was programmed into it. There were four of us programmed into that machine; Tosen, Gin, myself and Aizen. I don t know about the others but not long after I d received word Aizen had been killed I went back down to the room to find the machine destroyed. There was only one man that knew how to destroy it."

At that point everyone in the room answered Aizen at the same time as if conducted to do so. An ominous dread passed over each one in the room as the thought of Aizen s return seeps into the very marrow of their being.


	5. Chapter 5

After careful consideration and watching Ulquiorra constantly standing by Orihime, Urahara decided to give him a gigai; so Orihime wouldn t look like she belonged in a nut house constantly talking to her self around anyone else. Of coarse Ulquiorra wasn t too keen on the idea at first, but agreed to wear it after all specifics about the gigai were explained. Having never looked at his own reflection before he was amazed at the look of the Gigai once he removed it; realizing he could actually look as if he belonged in the world of the Humans.

Ichigo nor Ishida were very comfortable knowing Ulquiorra was alive much less having him around. After what happened in Hueco Mundo Ichigo nor Ishida were happy about Ulquiorra appointing himself Orihime s guardian. The way they saw it was they d been doing a good job of seeing to Orihime long before this guy showed up.

It looked almost comical the way Ichigo and Ishida immediately took Orihime to the far end of the room while Ulquiorra learned about the gigai; as if they intended to keep the two of them as far apart from one another as possible.

Orihime was going through issues of her own. Like the others; Orihime had believed Ulquiorra to be dead. It was a shock to say the least to open her eyes to Ulquiorra kneeling over her. Part of her felt the same fear she d had in Hueco Mundo while another part of her was actually relieved to see he survived.

Orihime knew she should hate this man because of what happened but she couldn t find it in her heart to hate him. Orihime couldn t remember a time when Ulquiorra had actually done any harm to her; just her friends. That she reasoned was most likely the reason she feared Ulquiorra now.

Orihime didn t want a repeat of Hueco Mundo; if Ichigo became that monster here many innocent people would be killed and she d again be powerless to stop them. Knowing that sent even more fear running through her as she looked from Ichigo to Ishida, and finally to Ulquiorra across the room.

Rukia saw the fear cross Orihime s face and grow with each of the men she looked at. "Orihime; now that everyone has said what they think is best for you, what do you want to do? This is your life not theirs Orihime and I think you need to decide for yourself what s best for you."

Orihime was caught off guard by Rukia s question for a moment but regained a false bravado as usual." I think I ll be fine. No one needs to worry about me; I can take care of myself." Then Orihime giggled...

Ulquiorra turned to give Orihime a sideways look that said volumes, but Orihime wouldn t look at him; or the other two for that matter. Ulquiorra s look didn t go unnoticed though; Ichigo and Ishida as well as Rukia had heard those same exact words from Orihime many times before spoken the same exact way, and now recognized it for what it really was.

The realization stung all three of them. They hadn t ever thought about Orihime lying about her feelings. It was Urahara that spoke the words Itchigo, Ishida and Rukia wouldn t.

"Orihime, if Ulquiorra is correct Aizen is coming for you. Not for Ichigo, Ishida or anyone else. If Aizen thinks your powers will help him in any way you are in real danger."

Urahara narrowed his eyes as he deliberately chose his next words carefully." You are not a burden Orihime but an asset to us all. If Aizen takes you Ichigo can t be healed; you re the only one that can heal him Orihime."

Orihime shook her head "That s not true. You said yourself that there are healers better suited then me for healing during fights." Orihime reminded Urahara " I wasn t needed here during the war you were right."

Urahara stepped around Ulquiorra to face Orihime fully." No Orihime I was wrong. If you had been here we wouldn t have lost anyone in that war. I humbly ask your forgiveness." Urahara bowed.

Urahara took Orihime completely by surprise and it showed. "Whaa what do you mean?" Orihime stumbled over the question as she turned to face him.

Urahara looked at Orihime as he answered" Division four are great at their jobs but your healing would have been faster which would have put those that went down fighting the Espada s back out in the battlefield against Aizen. If that had happened he might not be alive today to threaten you again."

Urahara kept his unrelenting gaze leveled on Orihime as he continued " I was afraid Aizen would realize your true potential and come after you that s why I tried to leave you out of the fight. I only succeeded in getting you abducted because I didn t take your feelings into consideration back then. Now he realized what he had and wants you back. we can t afford to take any chances Orihime. You have grown stronger then I imagined you would, and I think your powers still have a ways to go. but I also know your powers have been steadily growing. That alone makes you a target for Aizen."

Orihime didn t want to hear that last part; all she ever wanted to do was to help her friends, especially Ichigo, but all Orihime felt she has done is to become a heavy weight around their necks. Right now Orihime felt as though she were becoming an even heavier burden to her friends with this new threat. What could Aizen possibly want with my weak powers? Orihime closed her eyes; this isn t happening. It can t be happening. The last time it was to lure my friends to Hueco Mundo; I won t be a lure again. Orihime opened her eyes and looked directly into the eyes of Urahara;

"No, I will be alright. I don t need anyone s protection and you needn t worry about me."

Orihime s voice was so strong in her conviction it was hard to read her true feelings through it. Ulquiorra caught onto what Orihime was doing, he saw the fluxuation deep in her eyes and felt the uneven flow of her Spiritual powers. Ulquiorra wondered if anyone else noticed it as he turned to fully face her. "Woman"

Rukia interrupted Ulquiorra "That settles it then. Orihime should be aloud to decide for herself. If she says she doesn t need protection then we should accept that." Rukia smiled at Orihime " Urahara, can we use your basement for me and Orihime to continue our practicing in?"

Urahara nodded " That s a very good idea Rukia, of coarse you and Orihime may practice in my basement."

After the women left the room Captain Hitsugaya began speaking. "Does she really think she can defend herself against Aizen alone if he did survive against the Gotei 13 court Captains?"

Ichigo answered " I won t let that happen."

Ishida answered at the same time " Not while I m around."

Urahara looked at the now empty doorway " No, she just doesn t want anyone getting hurt because of her. We will have to protect her without her knowing she s being protected." Urahara s voice held the tone of a steel band as he said those words causing everyone to look at him with varied and mixed emotions. Urahara s eyes held no humor what so ever and it reminded them all of this man fighting Aizen during the war.


	6. Chapter 6

Orihime insisted on going back home, and would have preferred to go alone but for Captain Hitsugaya and Rangiku who explained that they needed a place to stay while stationed in town; "Since we already have an established base at your house Orihime, would you mind if we continue to stay with you? "Rangiku asked knowing Orihime wouldn t say no.

After they left Urahara s shop Rukia spoke for the first time since she d taken Orihime to the basement for practice. "She has changed, the last time I practiced with Orihime she couldn t keep up with me. Today I couldn t get past her defenses from any angle. That shield of hers repels which I don t remember it ever doing before. When my attack hit the hillside after bouncing off of her shield, a large rock fell. Instead of Orihime moving out of its path her shield caught it like a net and carried it away from her while she sidestepped another of my attacks." Rukia s tone became thoughtful" It were as if I moved in slow motion for her. It makes no sense."

Ishida shook his head " Actually it confirms my suspicions. While Ichigo and Ulquiorra were fighting I couldn t visually keep up with their speed but I thought Orihime had been able to she was so quiet and attentive during that fight."

Ichigo spoke of an instance in Hueco Mundo as well " Ishida s right, early on in my fight with Ulquiorra, Orihime saw his move and shielded me before I could react to his move; he d have killed me then. It was after that I began to see Ulquiorra s moves." Ichigo hadn t thought about that part of the fight or its sequence of events; he never had a reason to, but now it posses many questions that needed answering.

Ulquiorra cocked his head slightly looking at Ichigo " You talk as if this surprises you. This woman brought you back from death not once; but twice. The first time I thought I was not thorough enough, but the second, a cero point blank range through the chest, no one should have been able to bring you back; she did. -"

Urahara raised his eyebrows with that disclosure " No and I seriously doubt anyone from Division four could have brought you back either given that condition. Don t get me wrong, Division four can work many miracles to be sure, but with a greater portion of your chest blown away like that; they most likely would have let you die."

Rukia took exception to Ulquiorra s tone of voice " How can you sit there so calmly saying that? Don t you feel even the slightest bit of remorse for what you did?"

Ulquiorra didn t know how to answer that question; he wasn t sure yet as to the feelings he has been experiencing since Orihime gave him this thing called a heart. The only feeling he knew for a certain was an overwhelming need to stay close to Orihime, and keep her safe; away from harm and away from Aizen.

As Ulquiorra began to rise intending to leave Urahara walked over and placed a firm hand on his shoulder " Sit down my sad eyed friend. Rukia, getting emotional right now won t solve our currant problem. If Aizen is alive and after Orihime it means he intends to use her powers."

After Ulquiorra settled back down Urahara continued " We actually know little enough about Orihime s capabilities as it is, so let s go over what we do know at this point."

Ulquiorra sat listening to their theories; he hadn t planned on volunteering any information and figured since everyone spoke as if they knew all of the answers they wouldn t care to hear anything else, that is until Urahara asked " It doesn t matter what we think, Ulquiorra what did Aizen have to say about Orihime s powers? That s what matters most."

Ulquiorra looked at Urahara as he answered " Inoue Orihime s powers overcomes the limits of all phenomenon; knows no boundaries and oversteps the limitations set by gods. It limits, rejects and negates what ever has happened to any object, returning things back to its original state before events had changed them."

This information made eyes pop and mouths drop open in complete and utter shock." That s impossible " Renji stated fiercely. "No human could have that kind of power."

Ulquiorra turned to look directly at Renji " I have seen this power with my own eyes. He insisted. Once right after she arrived in Hueco Mundo, Inoue Orihime replaced Grimmjow s left arm that Tosen removed and incinerated. She has brought Kurosaki Ichigo back from the dead twice. She has given me a heart and touched the hearts of those she calls friends as well as others. Human though she is; she has this power at her command."

Urahara turned away pretending to be busy; unwilling to allow anyone in the room to see the shock he knew was written on his face. He d known Orihime s powers could prove to be formidable if she were a Shinigami or something; but to have these powers manifest it self as it has in a human is unheard of.

Ishida looked at Ulquiorra " That explains how she is able to heal like she does. She doesn t heal them she completely replaces the damaged parts with its original undamaged ones; but how is that possible?"

Ichigo shook his head " I don t know, and I don t care. If Aizen wants Orihime he s going to have to kill me first. I m the reason she got those powers in the first place. If it hadn t been for me she wouldn t be in danger now."

Ichigo s voice held a great deal of anger and self incrimination that no one could miss. Urahara turned and looked at Ichigo.

"No Ichigo, I was the one that encouraged Orihime and Chad to build their powers. If anyone is to blame here it s me." Urahara s voice sounded stern and deadly " I never thought her abilities would get this powerful. Chad too, has grown beyond my expectations. Neither of them would have the powers they now possess if I hadn t encouraged it. I even provided their initial training."

Rukia s voice sounded harsh as she spoke breaking the melancholy atmosphere." I think you re all forgetting something here; Orihime wanted to help and be a part of the team. I m sure Chad felt the same way. They made their decisions to do this them selves."

Rukia stood and her voice grew more demanding as she continued. "Orihime had those hair pins and Chad had his strength before you ever gained your powers Ichigo. How can you say it was because of you?. Yeah Urahara; you had started their training, but who s to say these things wouldn t have happened anyway later on? You can t; no one can, so stop blaming yourselves and let s find a way to stop Aizen before he gets his hands on her."

As usual Rukia s reasoning was of sound logic. Instead of wasting time on a blame game they needed to devise a strategy for keeping Orihime safe and dispensing with Aizen once and for all. She just wasn t sure how their Captain Commander was going to take this new situation.

Ishida stood " I agree with Rukia. " The thought of agreeing with any Shinigami left a bitter taste in his mouth. "We can worry about whose to blame later. Right now Orihime s life is in danger and nothing else matters but keeping her safe."

Ishida remembered Orihime s last ordeal in Hueco Mundo, and the fact she hasn t fully recovered from that. He couldn t believe they were feeling sorry for themselves when Orihime always puts everyone else before even her own safety." You should be worrying about what would happen if Aizen gets his hands on Orihime. I don t want to think of the things he could do to Orihime to make her use her powers against us. "

Just the thought of the many things Aizen was capable of doing to someone like Orihime brought everyone out of their self centered pensive thoughts and turned their thoughts to even grimmer ones. They all remembered how Aizen used Momo, Kira and many others as well as how Aizen ruthlessly killed his own Espada before their very eyes. Now this same man wants Orihime.

Meanwhile at Orihime s house Captain Hitsugaya completed the necessary recalculations to utilize their communications device. He d deliberately sent Rangiku and Orihime out to buy groceries so he could talk to the Captain Commander without Orihime overhearing him.

The Captain Commander stood in the center of the screen as it came to life. "Captain Hitsugaya,what is the status there? Your last communication wasn t all that clear." The Captain Commander said stoically. "Something about having found the Arrancar but he was not the problem?."

Captain Hitsugaya proceeded to tell the Captain Commander everything he d learned thus far. "Vice Captain Matsumoto and I are staying with Inoue Orihime to be sure she remains safe in case what this Arrancar says is true."

The Captain Commander grunted " We had all better hope it is not. Aizen was powerful enough before. If he did somehow survive as this Arrancar suggests we must be prepared for the worse. Under no circumstances can we allow Aizen to get his hands on Inoue Orihime and her powers; even if it means placing her in isolation in the Soul Society."

Captain Hitsugaya hadn t expected the Captain Commander to go to such extremes as to consider placing Orihime in prison " even if it was for her own safety. Captain Commander"

The Captain Commander cut Captain Hitsugaya off with the loud thump of his cane " It is not a matter open for discussion!" He raised his voice as he spoke those words." I will decide what the best course of action is."

Captain Hitsugaya felt helpless " Yes Captain Commander of course." He bowed his head not wanting the Captain Commander to see the sadness he knew was in his eyes. He just couldn t picture Inoue Orihime living in prison. When

The Captain Commander interrupted Captain Hitsugaya again " I will contact you with further instructions on the matter, meanwhile I m sending someone to lend a hand with the situation there."

Just then a set of senkaimon doors appeared in the room and opened. The one person Captain Hitsugaya least expected to see in the land of the living stepped into the room and the doors disappeared " Captain Kuchiki Byakuya." Captain Hitsugaya turned back to say something to the Captain Commander only to find the screen blank.

Captain Hitsugaya wasn t at all happy to see Captain Kuchiki in the land of the living. Doesn t the Captain Commander trust me? Have I ever given him a reason to doubt or overstep my authority as a competent captain, or to believe I wouldn t carry out my mission? Captain Hitsugaya thought to himself.

Captain Kuchiki glanced around the room until he saw a framed picture of a young man surrounded by candles." Where is this human?" Captain Kuchiki asked staring at the framed picture.

Captain Hitsugaya took a rather deep breath trying to get his thoughts under control." I thought it best to make my report without Inoue Orihime s presence, so I sent Vice Captain Matsumoto to the store with Inoue Orihime for supplies. "

Captain Kuchiki turned away from the picture to continue observing the house " I see; and do you believe they are safe off on their own like that?"

Captain Hitsugaya turned to face Captain Kuchiki fully " If there is any trouble Vice Captain Matsumoto will alert me. Captain Kuchiki, this is not our first mission in the land of the living. "Captain Hitsugaya s tone was indignant; as he replied.

Captain Kuchiki noticed Captain Hitsugaya s tone but chose to ignore it for now as he turned to face Captain Hitsugaya." Does this human understand her importance?" Captain Kuchiki asked looking down as he usually does at those he speaks to.

Before Captain Hitsugaya could answer that question the front door swung open " We re back." Orihime s voice sounded just as happy as it usually did " Now I ll make us all Sorry, I didn t know we had company, I ll just go put things away." She said as she scampered away.

Captain Hitsugaya smiled looking at the now empty doorway as Captain Kuchiki just stared. A little later, while Captain Hitsugaya filled Vice Captain Matsumoto in on his conversation with their Captain Commander Captain Kuchiki walked to the doorway of the kitchen and stood watching Inoue Orihime.

Captain Kuchiki couldn t understand what all of the fuss was about over a simple human. No mere human can possess the powers to cause this kind of extreme measures. Even Kurosaki Ichigo turned out to be more then a mere human, which makes sense given his powers; but this?

As Captain Kuchiki stood thinking he felt a strange surge in power within the room. Orihime had walked to the window and was staring out with her hands folded at her chest. If Orihime noticed Captain Kuchiki standing in the doorway she didn t let on to it.

Orihime was lost in thought and hadn t noticed anyone near much less watching her. I can t keep relying on Ichigo to help me, it ll tear him apart. I have to be strong, I just have too. Memories of that fateful day on top of the roof of Los Notches flooded back to haunt her.

Orihime s reiatsu wasn t visible at first but then it became so strong Captain Kuchiki couldn t help but to see it surrounding Orihime like a thick impenetrable cloud. Captain Kuchiki s eyes widened as Orihime s massive reiatsu became manifest and grew before his eyes.

Captain Hitsugaya and Vice Captain Matsumoto rushed to the kitchen feeling the change as well. They were stopped at the door by Captain Kuchiki s hand. They had never seen Inoue Orihime s reiatsu like this before and were just as surprised as Captain Kuchiki.

The front door slammed open against the wall as a dark figure moved through the captains and vice captain to Orihime s side. Grabbing Orihime s arms Ulquiorra turned her to face him. "Stop it " he ordered. "You must control this or Aizen will find you."

Orihime was abruptly brought back to the present and her reiatsu slowly dampened back down to where it normally sat; making her appear non-threatening." Ulquiorra, what s wrong?" Orihime asked innocently.

Ulquiorra looked down at the fragile woman before him." You must not think about that. Every time you do your spiritual power peaks woman; Aizen will use that to locate you."

Ichigo, Urahara, Renji and Rukia now stood in the house too " She has a name Ulquiorra. What the hell was that just now?" Ichigo asked ignoring the captains and vice captain standing only feet from him. "Orihime, are you alright?"

Rukia inhaled sharply " Brother! What are you doing here?"

Captain Kuchiki ignored Rukia s question in favor of a sarcastic statement of observation " I find your lack of knowledge of this human s reiatsu disturbing." Captain Kuchiki said to all of them in general.

Renji took exception to his captain s tone of voice " I find that funny coming from you Captain Kuchiki, considering I m your Lieutenant and you didn t even know I d achieved Bankai before our fight over Rukia."

Rukia hadn t known before now who Renji had fought, that nearly killed him that day. Now Rukia s not sure how she feels about that knowledge; not since Byakuya saved her life in the end, nearly costing him his own life. Renji!

Captain Hitsugaya knew he had to stop this before things got any worse." We hadn t seen much of Inoue Orihime since before she had been kidnapped, Captain Kuchiki. By the time we arrived at Urahara s Inoue Orihime was well subdued."

Captain Kuchiki looked at Captain Hitsugaya questioningly " subdued?" What nonsense is he speaking now? "Explain yourself."

Urahara answered " I placed Inoue Orihime in a deep sleep and put her in a protective casing designed to shield all of her reiatsu from escaping. I don t think it worked since Ulquiorra was able to find her and release her. "

Captain Kuchiki turned to take a closer look at what he thought to be a human standing next to Orihime. The young man didn t look any different then a human, and he could sense no reiatsu or spirit pressure emanating from the young man at all; which wasn t uncommon for normal humans.

Orihime s eyes widened when Ulquiorra came through her house to her." Ul Ulquiorra, it really is you. I thought I d dreamed you being there. But how? You died, I saw you die! Am I going insane? "Her thoughts reflected in her eyes as she stared at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra held his hand out to Orihime as he had done before " Are you scared of me woman?"

Orihime just stared for a minute before answering " No, I m not scared. "Ever so slowly as though if she moved too fast Ulquiorra would disappear Orihime reached out to take his hand. Her eyes became as wide as saucers when her hand was grasped by a firm grip; remembering the dust he d turned into.

Captain Kuchiki turned to give Ulquiorra a closer look " You are the Arrancar Ulquiorra?" He asked wondering why this human looking man doesn t look like an Arrancar.

Ulquiorra didn t turn to face Captain Kuchiki but moved his eyes toward him as if gauging his measure. Ulquiorra still didn t trust the Shinigami partially because they ve been enemies for as far back as anyone can remember, and partially because he personally didn t know most of them. Ulquiorra s only objective was to keep Orihime alive; at the moment." I am Ulquiorra Shiffer from Hueco Mundo. " He simply answered.

Captain Kuchiki continued looking Ulquiorra up and down trying to figure out what kind of an Arrancar this human looking person is. "You do not look like an Arrancar Shiffer"

Just then the house and everything began to shake as the ground out side began rumbling as if an earthquake were taking place; and headed straight for their location. Ulquiorra shed his Gigai, pulled Orihime from the window and allowed his spiritual pressure to release as he changed into his first form using a mask this time. Captain Kuchiki s eyes widened as Ulquiorra transformed before his very eyes. Ulquiorra s Katana seemed to materialize out of thin air into his hand.

The fact that Ulquiorra placed Orihime slightly behind him but continued holding her arm didn t go unnoticed by Captain Kuchiki. It was not only a protective stance but a possessive one; leaving Captain Kuchiki with unanswered questions.

Ulquiorra s next words threw Captain Kuchiki for a new loop. "We can t fight here; the town will be destroyed along with everyone in it." Before anyone could respond to that Ulquiorra turned placing his hand in front of Orihime s face covering her forehead and eyes. Orihime collapsed in Ulquiorra s arms.

Ulquiorra turned holding Orihime s unconscious form against him tightly with one arm as he held his Katana in his other. "We need to draw him back to Hueco Mundo. We can fight him there without major damage to these people."


	7. Chapter 7

Captain Kuchiki drew his eyebrows together" Since when does the Arrancar care what happens to the humans here?" He asked trying to dispel his growing confusion.

Ichigo became agitated" What the hell do you think you re doing? You can t be serious! You can t take Orihime back to Hueco Mundo." He began to move forward.

Ulquiorra looked pointedly at Captain Kuchiki " We Arrancars don t other then the humans being a means of sustenance for the weaker Arrancars to grow. It would worsen Orihime s condition to have the human s killed because of her. "Ulquiorra turned toward Ichigo " Can you think of any better place to fight Aizen where the humans won t be injured?"

Ichigo stopped as Captain Kuchiki put his arm out in front of him " Stay back Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo looked at Byakuya as if he d lost his mind " Byakuya let me "

Captain Kuchiki held firm and wouldn t let Ichigo pass. " Not your place Kurosaki Ichigo." He commanded without even sparing Ichigo a glance. "The Soul Society will handle this situation Arrancar."

Ulquiorra looked at Captain Kuchiki coldly " If Aizen is after orihimes s powers you will imprison her for a time, just as Urahara tried. To imprison Orihime would be the same as killing her. Aizen may settle for that if he intends to crush her. Tell me you would not kill your own family members if sacrificing them meant saving many others; even if you don t know them. " Ulquiorra looked at each of them in turn.

couldn t deny that which was truth and it was written on their faces. "What are you saying Ulquiorra, earlier you said Aizen wants Orihime s powers; now you re saying Aizen wants to kill her?" Ichigo s voice was incredulous.

They all felt the ground moving more violently as what ever it was moved closer. "Aizen did try to obtain Orihime s powers in Hueco Mundo. using psychological traps to make her one of us. Aizen was unwilling to use his Shikai on Orihime, but the psychological traps didn t work. I can not say without a doubt Orihime s powers are all Aizen wants, but I know for a certainty if he is after Orihime it is either for her powers or to destroy her."

Captain Kuchiki still puzzled by this Arrancar s behavior asked" Why do the Arrancars care or is it just that you care?"

A voice very familiar to Ichigo rang out loud and clear from behind them " That girl did a lot to help some of us and it s a debt that isn t easily repaid. so either help or get the hell out of our way!"

Ichigo turned as he said with irony " Grimmjow"

Grimmjow stood in his resurrection form with his long flowing blue hair fanned out across his back. Of course Captain Kuchiki along with most of the Shinigami as well as some of the Earth team had never seen any of these people in their resurrection forms. All eyes went wide as they are now faced with some very high powered Arrancars. It wasn t until one very soft childish female s voice rang out from behind Grimmjow that all eyes really got big.

In her adult form Nel ran from around Grimmjow" Ithygo Ithygo!" Nel ran right up to Ichigo and gave him one of her big bear hugs nearly chocking him to death.

Grimmjow laughed at the look on Ichigo s face which sounded like someone half crazy." We re running out of time Ulquiorra. If we don t get her out a here now we re going to have to stand and fight here or let that bastard take her." He stated with a deadly serious tone.

A tone Ichigo knew well. "Grimmjow, what s in this for you? "

Grimmjow laughed again " Kid, you just don t get it do ya? Why did you come to Hueco Mundo for kid? I didn t understand it at the time, but after you saved my life back then I ve had time to think about it; all of it. I watched that girl save the lives of those who moments before tried to kill her. I hear she did it more then once." He shook his head sending his hair flying. "She s not afraid to reach out with her heart and mend others, even her enemies because she doesn t see others as an enemy, kid."

Urahara spoke softly remembering Ulquiorra s earlier statements " She can reach out and touch the heart of any man." Then he looked up at Orihime s unconscious form " Get her out of here. We ll join you as soon as we can." He ordered with a deadly tone that brooked no argument causing Captain Kuchiki to look at him.

Before Captain Kuchiki could protest Urahara hurried them through the doorway and out of the apartment. Ichigo wasn t going to be put off so easily and made to follow after them. "No Ichigo, Ishida go with them and guard Inoue Orihime well. " Urahara commanded sternly as he grabbed Ichigo s arm to stop him.

Rukia stepped forward " I ll go too. " Without waiting for an affirmative or her brother to deny her, she was already on Ishida s heels and out the door.

Ichigo was furious " What the hell Urahara; you just going to let them take off with Orihime like that? Maybe she wouldn t have wanted to go with him, did that even occur to you? I had to kill him the last time just to force him to release her!"

Urahara raised his eyebrows at Ichigo s reaction to his decision. "Unless I miss my guess That Ulquiorra is now the reigning King of Hueco Mundo and judging from his attentiveness to Inoue Orihime I doubt he will do anything to make her uncomfortable."

Ichigo rolled his eyes " Attentiveness? Is that what you call his possessiveness? Damn it Urahara, Ulquiorra is a Vasto Lorde! He is the strongest Arrancar in Hueco Mundo."

Captain Kuchiki s eyes widened again as he questioned " Urahara, are you saying this Arrancar wants Inoue Orihime for his queen?"

That question brought Ichigo up short on anything else he would have said as Byakuya s question hit him square in the face " Queen? Orihime isn t even of royal blood lines." Ichigo s thoughts went back to how Orihime looked when she d finished healing him just before his fight with Grimmjow. How regal she appeared to be at the end as she approached him and placed her hand daintily in his own.

Yes Orihime could easily pass for royalty; she certainly has the poise and posturing for it; the looks too if I were to be honest about it. Suddenly the thought of Orihime being so far away made him feel depressed. He had never imagined his life without Orihime in it on a constant basis. They were together in class five days a week. They spent many holidays and lately vacation times together. Orihime was part of the team.

Captain Kuchiki said honestly " I doubt the Arrancars care about such things as royal bloodlines since they can t have children." Just then both Ichigo and Captain Kuchiki looked at one another with wide eyes of surprise as both silently speculate on the accuracy of their knowledge of the Arrancar physiology.

Urahara began laughing but his joy was cut short as the rumbling sway became a nerve shattering jolting. The house rocked in all directions as skeletons filled the room; moving from one to another searching for Orihime. When they saw the Shinigami they paused briefly before continuing on their way.

This time not one human had been hurt and no permanent damage done to any of the structures. Everyone felt the shaking though as it was centered just outside of Karakura Town to the north and felt from one end to the other. Captain Kuchiki got a really good close look at the skeletons that passed through the house.

They were from the underworld; no mistaking that. Could Aizen have survived? Are the Arrancars telling the truth? Those minions were definitely searching for someone or something, but what? They ve never taken living souls before nor have they actually come here to kill a human for their souls; how odd they come here now. Captain Kuchiki thought to himself. Why Inoue Orihime?

After everything settled down Captain Kuchiki made his report to the Captain Commander. "The Arrancars seem to think Aizen wishes Inoue Orihime dead."

" We can not permit Inoue Orihime to remain with our enemies. Her powers are too dangerous to allow them free reign over the girl." The Captain Commander informed.

Captain Kuchiki looked directly at the Captain Commander" Inoue Orihime is not alone. Kuchiki Rukia and Uryur Ishida have accompanied Inoue Orihime as personal guards. It is under some assumption the new King of Hueco Mundo may have a more... personal interest in Inoue Orihime."

The Captain Commander s eyes widened at this news. " A more personal interest? Explain Captain Kuchiki." Captain Kuchiki explained Urahara s quick assessment." Did you see anything that suggested such a preposterous idea?"

Captain Kuchiki spoke honestly "Captain Commander I don t know how Aizen s tampering with the Arrancars may have changed them but I did notice possessiveness in the way the Arrancar called Ulquiorra cared for Inoue Orihime. It is just too soon to tell what his actual motives are."

Captain Commander shook his head " possessiveness could mean anything and is nothing to go on. I want Inoue Orihime brought here where she will be placed in solitary confinement until this business is over. " The Captain Commander stated thumping his cane on the floor loudly as if to say discussion closed.

Captain Kuchiki raised an eyebrow at the pronouncement " Captain Commander perhaps solitary confinement would be..."

The Captain Commander interrupted him with another loud thumping. " This is not up for discussion." He said pointedly " You will personally see the order carried out Captain Kuchiki. "Then the screen went blank leaving Byakuya virtually no choice and totally bewildered.

I haven t heard of any one outside of the Soul Society being confined within; much less constrained to solitary confinement within the Soul Society. What is going on? Why is it that suddenly everyone wants Inoue Orihime? What possible powers can a mere human have to warrant all of this trouble?

Captain Kuchiki turned to find everyone silently looking stunned at the blank screen. Captain Kuchiki leveled a cold look at Urahara " I think it s time you tell me what s going on here Urahara Kisuke, and leave nothing out."


	8. Chapter 8

Orihime was thrown back in time mentally when she woke up in Las Notches. The only things that kept her grounded was having Rukia and Ishida with her as her personal guards. In fact Rukia wouldn t leave Orihime s side for any reason; including sleeping in the same room.

Ulquiorra proved to be a gracious host giving them a tour of Las Notches; explaining what everything was and how it worked after breaking fast together in the common room that once was Aizen s meeting hall for the Espada s.

This place brought back bad memories for all of them but Ishida and Rukia were determined not to let it get to them as they accompanied Orihime. The other inhabitants were introduced by names not status so it is unclear whether they are also Espada class or something else.

The newest addition to Las Notches is an arena used specifically for sparing while others watch, cheer and inevitably place bets. It is a perfectly circular structure that could easily seat thousands all at once in the bleacher seats. It had an open roof and two entrances; one for the spectators and the other for the contestants. The size alone made that particular building stand out from the rest.

During their tour Ulquiorra took them through places that once were villages and towns now dead and dormant. "These were filled with people before Aizen came. Once Aizen sent those like Nnoritra out in search of Vasto Lordes who were covetous of their positions; they decided to kill all with no regard because they feared loosing their status. I think it amused Aizen to see the many ways one could destroy entire villages and towns."

Orihime was shocked by the devastation of so many communities. Ishida and Rukia were shocked by how closely their world actually resembled all others. They were being given the chance to see first hand a side of Hueco Mundo no one had ever been privy to before. No one knew these people actually lived in dwellings within communities like within the Soul Society and in the world of the living.

Ulquiorra spoke proudly of their accomplishments " To keep this from occurring again messages are sent inviting others to participate in the tournaments within the arena where I may sit and gauge the possibilities. Those I believe can grow further is offered to become part of our military force and are trained in combat protocol and procedures."

It was mid day by the time they d returned to their quarters in Las Notches. " I have some business to attend to. Feel free to go anywhere you like, you will not be harmed or hampered in any way. I shall rejoin you for the evening nutriments." Ulquiorra said with a slight bow to Orihime before he turned and walked away.

Rukia had the strangest feeling she was watching a King walk away as she watched Ulquiorra leave. Fact was Ulquiorra reminded Rukia of her brother, Byakuya in his calm ways and intellectual intelligence. Everything about this strange man said power.

Ishida watched Ulquiorra with mixed feelings. He d seen that man at his vicious worse and now he is seeing him at his best; it was a major contrast. Was Ulquiorra always like this? We were the invaders back then; not guests like we are now. Ishida thought to himself.

Captain Kuchiki showed no emotion as he, Ichigo, Captain Hitsugaya, Vice Captain Matsumoto and Chad made their way through a Garganta to the inner sanctum of Las Notches. His pace was one of purpose his countenance set; he has a duty to perform and a mission to accomplish; no matter how grim this seems he has his orders.

They were met on the other side by Grimmjow. "Welcome back to Hueco Mundo. You ll find many changes since the last time you d been here. "He boasted then turned " Follow me, Ulquiorra s been expecting you."

They quietly followed Grimmjow. Ichigo, Chad and Vice Captain Matsumoto looked around as they followed but Captain Kuchiki; while aware of his surroundings didn t look in any direction but straight a head to their destination. The place looked neat, clean and orderly.

The inhabitants stopped and stared as the group passed by. Ichigo didn t remember seeing so many Arrancars lurking around the last time he d been here. Where did all of this come from? Was all of this here before? I didn t see people milling about like this. This is more like a large village and people where did they all come from?

Chad was just as astounded as Ichigo as he looked at the various shops they passed full of what appeared to be Arrancars of various shapes and sizes; yet they acted like normal human beings out shopping or for a stroll. There even appeared to be entire families walking around.

As they continued to walk toward a tall building Ichigo recognized all too well the inhabitants could be heard talking; one young Arrancar caught even the attention of Captain Kuchiki." Hey dad, are they that princesses family? Do you think our King will make her our Queen; she really is nice?"

Although Captain Kuchiki didn t turn his head he looked with his eyes at the child, man and several others that stopped to watch their procession." I can t say I d be happy to have a human for a Queen but she is kind; and I must admit beautiful." A female replied. "Looking at that guy walking there, he s beautiful enough to be her brother think he is? " Another from the crowed speculated.

Captain Kuchiki thought about stopping and setting those people straight but his mission took precedence. How ignorant! Someone needs to set these people straight. That human is not a princess and certainly no relation to me.

Ulquiorra was taking care of some local business when they arrived and waited for Ulquiorra to finish before announcing their presence. Announcements were unnecessary considering Ulquiorra felt and tracked their progress from the moment they entered Hueco Mundo.

Just as they stepped forward Orihime, Rukia and Ishida entered the room as well. Orihime; Ichigo and Chad whispered gruffly as she entered flanked on either side. The sight of Orihime made Captain Kuchiki feel as if he d eaten his earlier thoughts with bitter rye.

Orihime was wearing an exquisite gown of white with a black sash accompanied with a long flowing cape that was white on the outside and black inside. It was very similar to the white outfit she d worn the last time she was in Hueco Mundo; only this one was an actual gown that flowed about her lending an impression that she floated as she walked.

Orihime had never thought of herself as anything but ordinary in comparison with others, which is why their stunned expressions took Orihime by surprise. "What s wrong. did something happen?"

Ishida and Rukia thought they understood their confusion since they had experienced similar reactions after Orihime dressed. Even Rukia admitted to herself that for all of Orihime being a human she has regal qualities that came natural some how." I think they re just happy to see you alive and well Orihime, isn t that right Ichigo?" Rukia said sternly bringing everyone out of their stupor.

Ichigo still mesmerized by the sight of the vision before him answered as if in automatic mode. " Yes very happy " he said then cleared his throat and said with a stronger voice as he finally got hold of himself " It s good to see all three of you safe." The fact Ichigo hadn t looked away from Orihime as he addressed the three of them didn t go unnoticed.

Captain Kuchiki immediately took charge of the situation by getting straight to the point which now caused mixed feelings within him self. That was disconcerting in itself since he never allowed feelings to get in his way for any reason." Inoue Orihime I have been ordered to bring you to the Soul Society immediately." He said addressing Orihime.

Ulquiorra quickly stepped to Orihime s side before speaking." You can t possibly believe Orihime would be safer there then she is here. this is outrageous but not completely unexpected." He looked down on Captain Kuchiki " I won t let you put her in danger Shinigami."

Ulquiorra s voice turned deadly; a tone Orihime, Ishida and Ichigo recognized all too well. Before anyone could say a word or make a move Orihime turned to face Ulquiorra." Ulquiorra, I know you are trying to protect me, but it s alright. I trust the Soul Society with my life as I have learned to trust you here."

Orihime took a deep breath before continuing. " Ulquiorra, you have done wonders here. Your people need you and She shook her head; I don t want these people to suffer because of me anymore then I d want the people of Karakura Town to suffer." She paused to look him directly in the eyes. " You asked me to trust you, now I m asking you to trust my friends as I trust them."

Orihime turned to look at Chad, Ishida and the Soul Reapers standing before her, then took the few steps to stand before Captain Kuchiki " If this man was sent by the Soul Society to take me there to be safe it is because they believe they can handle the situation. They have been my friends for a while now, and I must believe in my friends; so I m asking you to believe with me Ulquiorra."

With that last part of her statement Orihime turned again to face Ulquiorra. His face was as expressionless as Captain Kuchiki s until he closed his eyes briefly. Captain Kuchiki saw the rage within the man, it was a brief flicker but it was there. When Ulquiorra opened his eyes again the look seemed sad." If that is your wish Orihime, but know this; I will come to you the moment I know you re in trouble and I will kill anyone that stands in my way."

Ulquiorra said that last as his gaze slid toward Captain Kuchiki before looking straight at Ichigo." Kurosaki Ichigo, I hold you personally responsible for Orihime s safety."

Captain Kuchiki s stance became rigid at Ulquiorra s blatant disregard of his authority in this situation. "As the Captain in charge I will see to it Inoue Orihime will come to no harm." He said stiffly making it quite clear who was in charge.

Ulquiorra spared Captain Kuchiki a brief glance then returned his attention to Ichigo." I trust I ve made myself clear Kurosaki Ichigo. "His voice was one that brooked no arguments.

Ichigo chuckled " I tore this place apart and took you on to protect her didn t I? What makes you think I would stop now? Protecting my friends is why I have these powers."

Captain Kuchiki was quietly thoughtful all the way to the Soul Society as he reflected on what took place in Hueco Mundo. The fact that Inoue Orihime was quietly walking behind him at a respectful distance while the others engaged in constant conversation that at times became quite lively didn t escape his notice either.

Orihime s words kept ringing through Byakuya s head like a bell I must believe in my friends. Which friends did she mean? Did she think Kurosaki Ichigo, Uryuu Ishida and Chad can keep her from what is going to come? Was she referring to the Soul Society? If she knew what the Captain Commander had planned would she still have said those words?

Heads turned when they arrived in the Soul Society. Some that had worked with them in the world of the living were in awe of the procession as Captain Kuchiki and his party made their way to the Captain Commander. Others speculated on whose royal family the lady with the captain belonged to. By the time they reached the Captain Commander s office rumors of an unknown royal princess in the company of Captain Kuchiki circulated the entire Seireitei.

The Captain Commander looked up from his desk upon their entry and unexpectedly stood before them as Captain Kuchiki bowed his head and began to speak." As ordered..."

The Captain Commander cut off the rest of Captain Kuchiki s speech." Inoue Orihime It has been decided for the safety of the world of the living, the safety of the Soul Society and for your own safety that you are to immediately be placed in solitary confinement."

At the precise moment the Captain Commander ended his pronouncement of sentence she was surrounded by the Stealth Force and stood face to face with Soifon; the Captain of the Stealth Force.

Ichigo, Ishida and Chad immediately began to move toward Orihime." Wait a minute!" Ichigo shouted as he moved. "You can t just imprison someone like that; what the hell?"

Soifon motioned with her hands and the three found themselves surrounded." Take one more step and you ll be dead." She told them coldly.

Orihime turned toward them " No; it s alright. Please don t; I couldn t bear it if you got killed because of this. It ll be alright. It ll be like a vacation." She giggled her usual laugh. " Really it ll be alright. "Then she turned back toward Soifon and nodded." I m ready."

Within the blink of an eye Orihime and the entire Stealth Force disappeared. Rukia turned toward Byakuya " Brother, you knew about this." It was not a question but an accusation. She watched as her brother silently turned and walked from the room without even glancing in her direction. His silence spoke volumes.

Ichigo, Ishida and Chad stood in stunned silence until Byakuya got to the door way and it was Ichigo that found his voice first. "You bastard! She trusted you, we all did!"

Rukia was shocked at the anger in Ichigo s voice as he spoke to her brother " Ichigo!"

Ichigo wouldn t take his eyes from Byakua s back as he ignored Rukia " You re a damn coward Byakuya!" He shouted loudly.

Rukia slapped Ichigo " How dare you talk to my brother that way."

Ichigo backed away from Rukia and leveled her with a hateful glare " What Rukia can t handle the truth? What he did was take a cowards way, and if you want to side with him go a head go run to your coward of a brother! I never want to lay eyes on that bastard again."

Ichigo glanced at the Captain Commander " You can go to hell too old man." He turned and left with Ishida and Chad right behind him; leaving a stunned Rukia standing alone.


	9. Chapter 9

As the sun rose on the third day after Orihime was taken away Ichigo stood on the edge of a hill overlooking yet another part of the Seireitei. They d been searching for the prison ever since they d left the Captain Commander s office. They d kept a distance between themselves and everyone within the Soul Society. The way they saw it is they ve been betrayed by those they once called friends; now they trusted none of them.

I hate to admit it but you were right Ulquiorra. I should have listened to you; Orihime wouldn t be in prison right now. It s all my fault; I should have known Byakuya wouldn t change; wouldn t put others before himself or his damned pride. Ichigo s irritation grew by leaps and bounds with each day they were unsuccessful.

Ishida walked to within a few feet of Ichigo and stared at him. "If you re done daydreaming over there we need to get started." He told Ichigo testily.

"What the hell?" Ichigo thought as he turned toward Ishida." I m tired of getting this I m better then you attitude. first from Byakuya now you? If you think you can find her better and faster then me then go on! "He shouted back.

Ichigo, Ishida nor Chad had any idea of the complete chaos the Soul Society has been going through that began the very night Orihime was imprisoned. It began with spats and disagreements that have grown into enormous battles throughout the Soul Society; from one end to the other. No one was immune to the irritation affect that spread like a disease. All medical personal were placed on alert and running at full strength. But today as the sun rose even they became affected. Arguments, major disputes and battles were being waged over medications, patient treatments, and even who is the better surgeon.

Captain Kuchiki gathered Vice Captain Renji and Rukia " Come. " He quickly made his way through the Seireitei stopping for no one when they called out to him. This of course made some angry enough, boosted by irritation; to give chase.

The voice Ichigo, Ishida and Chad heard next stopped their argument and fuelled a new fire. "Kurosaki Ichigo, should you be fighting among yourselves?"

Ichigo became rigid " Byakuya!" He said with venomously as he turned to face the man he now calls coward.

Before anyone could say a word Ichigo attacked Byakuya. Ichigo nearly took Byakuya s head before Byakuya realized it and moved just in time to escape certain death. It was a maneuver Byakuya hadn t quite expected to be executed as quickly as Ichigo had moved. It was impressive but Byakuya had no time to reflect on that right now.

Ichigo moved in for another attack but this time Byakuya, even though prepared for the extra speed with which Ichigo was moving; again just barely got away. This time Ichigo s sword cut through Byakuya s sleeve. Byakuya turned and moved off with great speed.

What the hell? Ichigo thought as Byakuya moved away as if running away. "You think you re going to get away from me this time you damn coward?" Ichigo then went after him ignoring Ishida s yelling for him to stop.

Ichigo hadn t seen the mass of people already chasing Byakuya when he went after him, Ishida and Chad did though which is why they yelled for Ichigo to stop." Ishida, Chad; follow my brother." Rukia called to them " I ll explain on the way."

Once Rukia explained the situation within the Soul Society Ishida remembering one night in Karakura Town only days ago " Rukia, we ve got to hurry, they re here." With that having been said Ishida moved even faster to catch up to Ichigo.

Ichigo was close to Byakuya but not close enough when he heard Ishida yelling. Byakuya hearing Ishida stopped too and turned to look at him." Who s here?"

Ishida stopped next to Ichigo " The underworld. when they first attacked our world remember? People were killing each other over nothing. That s what s happening here."

Ichigo s eyes widened " Orihime, they re coming for Orihime!"

Byakuya looked at them and said" Then follow me, we re almost there." He turned and continued in the same direction they were already headed.

Ichigo sped up to catch up with Byakuya " You had me chase you on purpose." It wasn t a question; then he looked back noticing the others following." You got them chasing you the same way? You d better hope they d rather fight the enemy then you."

Captain Kuchiki glanced at Ichigo briefly before turning his attention to the new task at hand. Byakuya hadn t felt sick at heart in a very long time but he did now. The thought of the Captain Commander placing not only the Soul Society at risk like this but to place a human at risk!

Byakuya could well guess why; only the captain s and those in the Second Division knew where the prison was, and to prove the Arrancar s claim that Aizen still lived; only Aizen would be able to tell the underworld where the prison was. Although it clears the Arrancars of any wrong doing Inoue Orihime s life is in grave danger. Again Orihime s words came back to haunt him; If this man was sent by the Soul Society to take me there to be safe it is because they believe they can handle the situation. They have been my friends for a while now, and I must believe in my friends.

They arrived to find the prison had already been over run; skeletons were everywhere and most of the guards dead. There was no doubt; someone told the underworld exactly how to get there; no doubt now that someone was Aizen. The fact the minions of the underworld were still there meant they hadn t found Orihime yet; that meant there was still hope.

Captain Kuchiki, Ichigo nor Ishida waited for the others as they dove into the myriad of skeletons swarming over the prison. Ishida began shooting arrows to give cover support to Byakuya and Ichigo as they took them on at close range. It didn t take long for Byakuya to back up and use his Senbonzakura for a wider field attack.

As others began fighting Ichigo began moving as he fought toward the prison cells. Captain Kuchiki moved inward with him as did Ishida and now Rukia joined the ranks as well as Chad.

The skeletons were surprisingly sturdy for being skeletons; but still no real match for the five forcing their way into the prison through what little was left of the outer walls. It was amazing no one had gotten the alarm sounded when those walls were destroyed; or perhaps everyone in the Seireitei were just too busy fighting among themselves to pay attention when the alarms went off.

Ichigo and the four moving inward with him stopped in their tracks when they heard Orihime s blood curdling screams. The first came from below them but the second came from above; they looked up.

Orihime was wrapped from shoulders to her waist in a large thick chain; being dragged upward to a strange looking Senkeimon Gate. The creature on the other end of the massive chain pulling Orihime was no skeleton.

The creature resembled that of a half decayed corps with a combination of skeletal bone and skin in large patches mixed with raw meat in some areas. On it s head sprouted two long thin looking horns on either side. He had raged wings that looked to be half chewed and torn in places. His clothing consisted of blood red rags that merely hung off of his body.

Without hesitation or reservation Captain Kuchiki tore off his Captain s Haori as he raced toward Orihime and her capture; shocking everyone that saw his Haori float to the ground as he moved at lightening speed in pursuit.

As fast as Ichigo is, the creature disappeared with Orihime and Byakuya, who just managing to squeeze through the closing orifice; before it too disappeared in front of Ichigo s face. Ichigo stood staring wide eyed at what is again blue skies in total disbelief.

After several long minutes ichigo looked back to see a shocked Rukia and a stunned Renji who held Byakuya s discarded Haori in his hands. If he didn t see the Haori in Renji s hands Ichigo still wouldn t have believed what he saw. As it is many that were fighting saw what Byakuya had done too, and are standing and looking lost.

Ichigo moved back down to the rest of them " I m going after Orihime; this may be a one way trip so I m not asking anyone to go with me. I m sorry Rukia but I think Byakuya knew that too." He lightly touched the fabric of the Haori " I think Byakuya left this in case he didn t make it back."

Ichigo turned to leave when a deep loud voice rang out of the crowd " You ain t going alone Kurosaki Ichigo. I ain t getting left out of this battle so you can have all of the fun again."

Ichigo chuckled " Kenpachi, as much as I wish I had all of you to watch my back you d better ask old man Yamamoto before making that offer. I m sure the old man s going to want his territory protected no matter what or who else suffers. Following Byakuya and me may get you in serious trouble here."

Kenpachi looked at Ichigo cocking his head slightly to one side." Hey, got any ideas who s behind this?"

Ichigo looked down before looking Kenpachi square in the eyes" Aizen." He simply stated.

That statement made everyone look at one another with fear as they remembered their last battle with Aizen." Aizen huh?" Kenpachi asked looking around at the fear registered on everyone s faces. Kenpachi tore his Haori from his body and threw it at Renji " well kid, what are we waiting for?"

Ichigo chuckled again " Right. " Then as Ichigo turned Ishida, Chad and Rukia joined him. Noticing Rukia Ichigo turned toward her." Rukia..."

Rukia cut him off cold " Don t say it! My brother s out there somewhere and Orihime needs help too. I go with you or I go alone but either way I m going."

Ichigo didn t want to tell her but now he felt he had no choice. "Rukia; if you go without permission from Yamamoto..."

Rukia cut him off again but her tone was kinder this time." Ichigo; life here wouldn t be the same without my brother, and I d never forgive myself if I didn t try to get Orihime back. Now, we re wasting time."


	10. Chapter 10

The air was so hot it nearly burned just to breath. Everything was drenched in a haze of red and yellow; distorted by wave after wave of heat the further down they descend. You could feel it long before you ever reached anything; hate and insanity as thick as cold butter. The hideous cries that makes ones blood turn thick with fear frozen in place by the sheer insanity of it; surrounded Orihime as she struggled to remain conscious.

Something told Orihime that if she thought Hueco Mundo was evil she was wrong; Orihime was about to be taught the true meaning of what evil really is. Orihime felt a fear unlike any she d felt before.

Still wrapped in thick chains Orihime was dragged through thick dense clouds of putrid smoke that permeated the very air around her; it was nearly suffocating. The stench wasn t one of decay or rotting flesh but of pure hatred toward all things.

There were actual dwellings below Orihime where these beings lived and a huge vast river that ran right through the center of it all. The dwellings looked as if they were missing half of their walls and roofs leaving them open to the ever present red and yellow glow. As Orihime descended further that red and yellow glow became an almost blinding bright white and pinkish orange.

Wailings and screams became more pronounced mixed with moans and actual crying. It was a disgustingly eerie sound that filled every corner of the place, bemoaning terrifying and sinister occupants; mixed with deep seeded hatred, regrets, hurts and sorrows all at the same time. They echoed through out nonstop.

Out of it all the hatred was the most terrifying while the regrets, hurts and sorrows were oppressive. These feelings came crashing down on Orihime like a ball of led as they landed on the top of what might have been a tall skyscraper pent house once upon a time. It sat centered and overlooked the entire city surrounding it.

Orihime tried to maintain positive thoughts even with all of the oppressive feelings surrounding her. "I must have faith in my friends; they will come for me" She told herself. Kurosaki-kun; Orihime began to think then a vision of Ichigo s painful expression during his fight with Ulquiorra filled her mind.

A familiar voice of the not to distant past echoed around her head" Your friends Orihime Inoue are the reason you are here. I left many clues as to whom I wanted and was coming for. I couldn t have made it any clearer without going there myself and taking you."

The voice was as soft as silk and as smooth as honey "Aizen" she said with a shaky voice. Orihime couldn t see him but she could feel his caress; it was the same as the one he d given her just before departing to destroy Karakura Town to make the King s key in Hueco Mundo.

Aizen continued" Your friends in the Soul Society put you in a place where you couldn t escape me and they knew I could get to with ease. You were their sacrifice in order to keep their world safe from my wrath."

Orihime argued" Ichigo tried..." But was interrupted by Aizen once more"It is easy for someone to act brave when they know you won t permit them to fight for you Orihime Inoue. None of your other friends; Ishida Uryuu, Chad Yasutora or even Rukia Kuchiki offered a voice against the Captain Commander Yamamoto s decision did they?" Aizen said calmly" That s because they were all offering you to me in order to save their worlds."

who would believe Ichigo would sacrifice a friend" Ichigo isn t like that!" Orihime stated emphatically." Ichigo would never"

Aizen interrupted again laughing just before speaking" Act brave knowing he wouldn t have to follow through? Oh you are naive aren t you Orihime Inoue? "He laughed again" Ichigo Kurosaki is human regardless of his appearance, he is human. As humans go, he like any other human trying to hide the truth would resort to doing anything to make others think they are above reproach. The Shinigami do and act the same way just as the Arrancars in Hueco Mundo Orihime Inoue; the Shinigami believe themselves to be better then all others just as the Arrancars do; it is a vicious cycle that never ends."

Aizen continues but this time all humor is gone from his tone of voice and the sound is deadly. "The worse of those just like the ones you call friends live here Orihime Inoue. Welcome to your new home."

Orihime overwhelmed with fear turned and ran. She could barely see a foot in front of her with the blinding light all around. Orihime felt someone reach out and grab at her shoulders. The material ripped leaving her arms and most of her shoulders bare making her stumble as she continued her head long momentum. Too late Orihime realized she couldn t stop before falling over the edge.

As Orihime began her downward spiraling ascent the chain began unraveling at the shoulders leaving huge marks along her arms, now bare as is slid tight before releasing with each turn of her body. At one point the chain caught on the material on her back until it ripped the material free from the base of her neck to her waist.

Orihime was helpless and felt as if she would never stop spinning and falling when she came to a lurching haul. The chain caught the skirt pert of what was left of her dress she d worn since she left Hueco Mundo. Hearing the hissing sound of the winged creature that brought her here Orihime looked down.

"The ground isn t that far, maybe if I free myself I can make it and find some place to hide" Orihime thought frantically. The chain caught on the material at her right upper thigh where it was easy enough to reach with a little bit of effort.

Orihime grabbed the chain with her right hand to hold herself upward a little while taking the material with her left and yanked hard until she heard it rip; then with all her might Orihime threw her body weight downward. The material of her dress gave way ripping jaggedly all the way around as it tore away, and Orihime began the rest of her descent to the ground.

Orihime s fall was cut short as her own shield formed under her, slowing her descent until she was nearly at the bottom; then Orihime was grateful for Rukia s training as she tucked and rolled into a dead run after spotting a hiding place on her way down. Orihime ran using any and all items between to shield her location. She ran right to left and back, as she made her way through a torn up street to a place she thought might be safe to hide in for a time.

Aizen s voice rang out echoing from every direction." I really didn t think you had it in you Orihime Inoue to run like that. You won t evade me you know I will find you. During which time perhaps you will learn the truth of your friend s wickedness and evil ways. How they only truly care about themselves and think nothing of sacrificing innocents for their own gains; innocence like you."

Orihime didn t stop to listen, the shadow of the creature above was circling, searching for her; but she couldn t help but to hear his voice since it carried far and wide as it echoed from above.

A ways away another hearing Aizen s voice did stop to listen. Steal grey eyes burned into the distance and widened when Aizen said Orihime got away from him. Without further hesitation the dark figure moved quickly toward the direction Aizen s voice emanated from.

The streets were wide but broken and raised in many areas; some by feet instead of inches. Fragments of broken buildings along with garbage and waste by products littered everywhere along the streets adding to the stench of raw fear, sorrows and hate. The oppressiveness Orihime felt from above was even worse here; Orihime felt as if she would choke it was so thick.

The building Orihime sought for refuge was only a few feet away when she saw grotesque beings emerge from an open doorway. The bright white light that had been so blinding seemed to be fading and turning to a pinkish orange glow. The heat however rose and created a wavering affect over the entire area.

Upon seeing the creatures emerge from the buildings Orihime changed directions and continued heading down the street using pieces of buildings for cover. Although Orihime couldn t see the pursuing creatures shadow due to the lighting she instinctively knew he was up there; still circling and searching for her.

Orihime knew it was too much to expect her luck to hold up for too much longer when something grabbed her gruffly from behind and yanked Orihime to her back on the ground. The scrapping of her back just added to the raw open wounds she still had on her arms from the massive chain during her fall, and the force with which she hit the ground on top of the pain nearly caused Orihime to black out.

The creature bending over Orihime laughed hideously as if insane. It s head looked like raw meat with lumpy skin hanging off of the edges. It s eyes were small and beady in overly large whites surrounded by dried blood. It s nose fat with something greenish oozing from the nostrils. It s lips were huge for it s face and when it opened it s mouth it revealed beige jagged teeth and a long thick tongue. It drooled as it opened it s mouth to speak.

The creatures breath was rancid but before it could actually breath on Orihime something flashed and the top of it s head from its nose up, slid from the rest of it; and it crashed to the ground in a heap. Orihime didn t wait around to find out what killed that creature for fear something even bigger and more dangerous was coming; Orihime jumped up and ran.

Creatures were emerging from everywhere now that the bright white light was gone. Orihime knew now she had to avoid them as well as the creature chasing her and stay as far away from Aizen as she could. This light cast shadows everywhere where as the white light seemed to penetrate everywhere leaving no shadows at all.

Orihime wanted to find someplace to stop and heal her torn flesh; it was painful to move her arms and her back ached from the deep scrapping there, but finding any area where the creatures didn t already occupy was proving nearly impossible. Stopping in a shadow to catch her breath Orihime s mind began wandering.

Visions of the scene in the Captain Commander s office played back in Orihime s mind over and over. "No; Ichigo didn t know, and I ve got to believe none of my friends would do this. I must believe my friends are truly my friends." Orihime shook her head" I must stay alive until no I can t keep relying on Ichigo! I must find a way out I must do this myself."

Orihime healed her wounds as she hunched down in a shadow and thought things through. "There was a big river to my right as we came in; if I can find that river I should be able to follow it to get out again. "Having thought that through Orihime finished healing, looked around and began moving once more.

The screams and cries were louder and by far more intense in the city then from above making it hard for Orihime to think. The deep strong emotions that surrounded Orihime seemed to seep into her very bones making it difficult to even move at times, but by her sheer will Orihime continued making her way through the city, dodging this way and that; keeping to every shadow possible and avoiding the inhabitants there while looking for the river.

The inhabitants knew of Orihime s presence among them; whether by sensing it or they were somehow told Orihime didn t know, but she could hear their shouts and threats" Find the living one!" Another shouted" The living has no business here kill it!" Others screamed of the various ways they would kill her and make her pay for her arrogance of being among them; most sounded as if they would derive pleasure in the doing of the deed. The sense of pure hatred filled the air.

Orihime soon learned the buildings were nothing more then bits and pieces of what might once have been a vast city. Nothing was complete and nothing standing would give shelter from the bright light once it appears high above. Something one of the hateful voices said made Orihime pause in thought.

"Don t let the living one out of your area or I will find her and kill her myself." What did he mean? Are they bound here in specific areas for some reason? Orihime couldn t take long to think though for others began heading her way. Turning to get up Orihime ran on.

Aizen s voice echoed through the city again" Orihime Inoue, you have done well to stay alive this long and not get caught; but you know it won t last. You are alone here. There is no one coming to save you this time Orihime Inoue; your friends left you to die here."

Orihime tried to ignore Aizen as she continued running but no matter how hard she tried his voice echoed over and over; You are alone; your friends left you to die here. Out of breath and growing tired Orihime stopped running, and looked up into the strange pinkish orange sky as she remembered another place and another time; when Aizen used her cruelly to trap Ichigo and her friends in Hueco Mundo.

No Aizen I fear they will come, and it is what will happen to them if they do that I fear most. Please stay out there Ichigo, stay safe. Don t come after me this time. I can t bear your suffering anymore because of me. Tears began flowing freely from her eyes as she remembered Ichigo s loss of control in Hueco Mundo and the pain in his face while fighting Ulquiorra.

Through her tears Orihime saw a dark figure above blocking out some of the strange sky. It seemed to hover there above her. Sharply inhaling at the sight of that unknown figure Orihime began running again in the direction she figured the river to be in; refusing to look up again or back.

The closer Orihime got to the river the heaver her heart felt. As she got close to the river Orihime noticed something strangely familiar about it. So familiar she stopped and looked around. This can t be Orihime thought as visions began playing around in her mind of times she d spent in this very place with her various friends. Each vision ended with her friends crying because they couldn t find Orihime.

Orihime spun around and around seeing her friends in a circle around her. The most hurtful was when she saw Ichigo again with that same painful expression when he fought Ulquiorra to gain her freedom. Orihime s heart began pounding so heard she thought it would come out of her chest. The sorrow she felt was so devastating and overwhelming Orihime fell to her knees in tears; oblivious of the creatures grabbing at her from all directions.


	11. Chapter 11

When Ichigo returned to Karakura Town he found the town and everyone in it changed. The people were different in their actions and the way they did everything. The streets were littered with trash and no one seemed to care about anything. No one smiled, exchanged pleasantries, laughed or had a kind word to say.

As Ichigo made his way through town to Urahara s candy store people were throwing dirty water and trash out of their windows with no care as to if it would splash on others passing. People walked around as if they were automated and not real. Ichigo was shocked when he saw women of all ages standing on street corners propositioning men dressed strangely; while other physically fought.

Children of all ages ran through the streets dirty and some half naked yelling obscenities at each other and anyone they passed. The town stink of rotted food and waste on every street. It was total chaos everywhere.

If Ichigo thought Urahara s Candy Shop was going to be any different he realized from the moment he entered he was wrong. Tessai looked up from behind the counter as Ichigo walked in " What the hell does the likes of you want here?"

Ichigo was brought up short by Tessai s attitude " That s a strange way to greet me Tessai. I"

Tessai leaned forward over the counter and interrupted Ichigo " Who the hell are you that you think you can call me by my first name dick weed?"

Ichigo taken a back by Tessai s question stared at Tessai for a moment" Tessai, this is no time for joking around I"

Tessai jumped over the counter grabbing Ichigo by the throat" You re damn right it s no time for jokes!" Tessai yelled as he pinned Ichigo up against the counter behind him." I m only going to ask you one more time how do you know my name?"

Just then Rukia and Kenpachi entered through the door as Urahara entered the shop from the back door." What the hell s the matter with everybody have you all gone crazy? "Ichigo yelled back" You know who I am!"

Rukia spoke loudly to get Ichigo s attention" Ichigo it seems no one knows us anymore. It s as if this is an alternate time or something. The whole town has changed."

Tessai looked at Rukia and Kenpachi before looking back at Ichigo. "That is an interesting theory young lady. What makes you think that?" Urahara asked from the back of the shop.

Tessa put Ichigo back on the floor as Rukia explained." This town and everyone in it is opposite from what it is or as we know it to be. Also, people we know and that should know us doesn t remember us it s as if none of us ever existed."

Ichigo s eyes widened with the enormity of the situation and its implications." How is that even possible?"

Ishida and Chad stood behind Rukia and Kenpachi having heard Rukia Ishida spoke his thoughts on the matter. "Could Aizen have caused this by taking Orihime to the Underworld? I ve heard it said that no living being has ever been taken by them before."

Urahara s eyes widened" A living breathing human being has been taken to the Underworld? I assume you are referring to a human that has not died and passed on."

After explaining everything to Urahara and Tessai over tea Urahara began to think. "It is possible that if this Orihime Inoue knew a lot of people in and around town, and was a big influence on them in some way; it is quite possible this could be caused by her being taken to the Underworld. "Urahara shook his head" This is all conjecture you understand we really don t know enough about the Underworld to be certain of anything."

Urahara looked at Ichigo with a twinkle in his eye and a sly smile" From what you re all saying this Orihime Inoue must be one hell of a woman to have such affects on people."

Ichigo became thoughtful as he said" Orihime is the most positive person I know. She s always smiling, encouraging and up beat. When she s silly she makes you laugh, she smiles you smile and when she cries it makes you want to protect her all the more."

The room was silent as Ichigo and his friends reflected on Orihime until Ichigo looked up at Urahara and spoke again" You use to be like that too Urahara up beat I mean. Whenever things got bad you d always find a way to make things work out you d investigate the situation and come up with ideas and plans. That s why I guess I always came to you for help I knew I could always count on you."

Urahara looked both shocked and scared" The last time I tried to help someone they died a horrible death. The boy s father was a good friend of mine, and he never forgave me for killing his son." Urahara looked down into his tea cup with sadness deeply etched on his face.

Kenpachi entered the room" Old man Yamamoto will be sending someone after us soon, made any progress yet Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Urahara s head shot up at the mention of Ichigo s name as if someone yanked it hard and his eyes were wide as he spoke" Kurosaki Ichigo? Did he just call you Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Ichigo looked at Urahara strangely" Yeah Urahara Kisuke he did look sorry"

Urahara interrupted Ichigo" Ichigo tell me everything I did that you know of from when this began. Try not to leave anything out."

Later just before sunrise that next morning Urahara took Ichigo and his party into the mountains North of Karakura Town." I couldn t figure out why I had these coordinates written down with a notation Hell s Gate. It must have been what I was working on before the change took place."

Rukia looked astonished" Then this isn t an alternate world?"

Urahara smiled" Afraid not. You see when someone a live is permanently removed from existence like this any affects that individual had on anyone around them disappears and usually the complete opposite occurs. That s probably why so many people in this town are depressed and feels as if there is no hope left in essence this town has given up on life itself."

Ishida looked at Urahara in astonishment" All of this because Aizen took someone to the Underworld?"

Urahara chuckled" Most likely it s because he took this woman of yours to the Underworld. From what you told me she was like sunshine mixed with a breath of fresh air. She probably knew most of the people in town through one means or another; school, shopping, neighbors and then some. Chances are if you d have been here when she was taken you wouldn t remember her and your mind would be altered too."

Ichigo was haunted by Ulquiorra s words; This woman is a guardian of the heart of man. A jewel of the highest and priceless; yet you don t even know what is in your possession. How can you possibly protect adequately what you don t even realize you have?

Ulquiorra knew and he tried to tell us, warn us of this very thing; we just didn t understand. The guardian of the heart of man, he called Orihime; he said we didn t know what we had and he was right. Ichigo shook his head sadly. I never thought one person could make such a difference in so many lives.

Just then as though a loud thunder struck, the earth around them shook and the area filled with heavy spiritual pressure. Captain Commander Yamamoto, Captain Hitsugaya, Captain Kyoraku, Captain Ukitake, and Captain Unohana, along with Vice Captains Renji, Matsumoto and Isane and accompanied by Ikkaku, Hisagi and Kira now stood to their right.

Ichigo looked at Captain Commander Yamamoto as if he could kill him where he stood; the very sight of the man he once respected now sickened him. Before either could address one another more massive spiritual pressure materialized to their left as Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Nel and twenty other Arrancars now stood equal distance apart from the Shinigami.

The tension was so thick you could cut it like it was cold butter. "The gate is here in the canyon below us but I still don t know how to open it. "Urahara explained figuring someone had better open up a dialogue before this got ugly.

Ulquiorra grunted" Kurosaki Ichigo and I will open it that doesn t concern me." He said but spoke no more as he just stared at Ichigo.

Ichigo looked Ulquiorra square in the eyes" You were right and we now all understand what you were trying to tell us, Ulquiorra. We must bring Orihime back and make Aizen pay for what he s done."

Then Ichigo turned toward the Shinigami" I won t ask any of you for your help." He said as he and Ulquiorra walked to the center of the canyon and lowered themselves half way down before beginning their transformations." Just don t try to stop us."

Captain Commander Yamamoto hadn t gotten a really good look at Ichigo s transformation before, so when Ichigo transformed into the white creature with long flowing hair and golden eyes Yamamoto s eyes widened in complete shock. He s a

The ground shook violently as rocks and dirt went flying in all directions under the massive pressure of their combined transformation. Just as Ichigo figured it wasn t enough to break it open Ulquiorra released his sword; Segunda Etapa. The ground exploded violently beneath them as their transformations peaked during their combined pressure.

The difference between the two were like day and night; Ichigo looked like an angel of light where as Ulquiorra resembled the angel of darkness. The Hell Guards guarding the gate were crushed under the weight of Ichigo and Ulquiorra s spiritual pressures as it blew open." Only two guards" Ulquiorra stated

Ichigo chuckled" It looks like they re expecting us. Let s not keep Aizen waiting then."

Together Ulquiorra and Ichigo turned facing down into the maw of Hell and disappeared; The Arrancars, Ishida, Rukia, Chad, Kenpachi and all of the Shinigami except Captain Commander Yamamoto followed their prospective leaders while Urahara and Yamamoto watched the most unlikely alliance in history descend into the depths of Hell to retrieve the heart of man.

Orihime was so consumed with regrets for all of the hurt and sorrows she d caused her friends she never realized she was being dragged to the river. The closer she came to the river the deeper the regrets dug into her very being. Eyes filled with tears and heart with sorrows Orihime never saw the slashing of the creatures dragging her to the river.

A gentle but firm hand grabbed Orihime s upper arm and dragged her to her feet as a sword slashed through more creatures groping for Orihime. Wide eyes filled with tears looked into steel grey eyes intent on keeping the creatures away from Orihime" Captain Kuchiki?" Orihime whispered wondering if she was merely dreaming him in her mind.

Byakuya inched away from the river pulling Orihime with him as he fought their way out but the river and its affects were beginning to take its toll on him too, as regretful memories flooded his being." Hold on to me Inoue" he yelled over the din of wailing, cries and screams.

Orihime clung to Byakuya tightly as he shunpoed them away from the river toward where the mountains are. Byakuya knew the greater distance he could gain them in the fastest possible manner would be best for them both at this point. Orihime was exhausted and Byakuya could feel it as she struggled just to hold onto him; he tightened his hold on her.

As Byakuya and Orihime neared the edge of the city Aizen s voice sounded off again." Orihime Inoue, however you managed to stay alive this long; your time is quickly running out. The method of your demise is your choice. Once it becomes daytime here the bright light will infiltrate everything; there is no escaping that of course. Your eyes will burn inside their sockets. It is quite painful I assure you. Then your skin will burn, blister and pop until it merely hangs off of your body. If that won t drive you mad I m sure as your insides turn to mush you will go insane, Orihime Inoue."

There was a pause before Aizen spoke again. "You are afforded options to this type of an ending Orihime Inoue. One, you could throw yourself into the River of Sorrows and drown in your regrets. two, you could try to get one of the other creatures to kill you but by now those that haven t disappeared are running for their lives to find a safe haven. I seriously doubt any of them will risk their lives to save you from suffering. Three, you could agree to come back to me and be the sacrifice you were sent here to become."

Aizen s voice turned sickly sweet as he continued; "I promise being a sacrifice to me is a lot less painful then burning alive under the daylight here in the Underworld. Did you actually think just because it s the Underworld there would be no daylight? Perhaps you thought it would be continual and perpetual darkness?"

Aizen laughed a hideous sound that echoed all around then his voice turned deadly. "Daylight here is all consuming; nothing living can withstand it. I m sure you noticed the lack of trees, bushes and flowers. Come now Orihime Inoue, you only have a matter of minutes in which to choose."

Byakuya had begun scanning the areas ahead of them for refuge from the light Aizen spoke of. He doubted Aizen told the truth. If the light didn t affect the dead why would they be running for cover? He had no doubt s it would affect Orihime and quite possibly himself as well. Aizen spoke truly when he said there were no trees or plants of any kind; dead or alive. But there were other deadly things like poisonous insects of large proportions; he d only glimpsed them in his haste to find Orihime and Aizen deliberately left that information out.

Byakuya spotted what appeared to be a cave in the side of a nearby mountain; he only hoped they will make it there before the light brightens the sky. He would deal with whatever was inside when they get there. Orihime won t make it much longer; Byakuya felt her weakening by the minute.

Just before Byakuya and Orihime reached the cave the bright white light crested the horizon engulfing everything in its path. They both felt the heat long before the light actually touched them. Searing pain shot through Orihime s hands and wrists and Byakuya s entire backside as the rays of the white light hit them.

Byakuya nearly stumbled into the entrance of the cave and although he was hopping it wasn t inhabited it was almost a certainty it was; true enough twenty feet within the cave stood a nearly human sized Black Widow Spider. The problem was this spider had the head of a human female with short cropped black hair.

Orihime released her hold on Byakuya and nearly screamed the pain from the motion was excruciating so she could well imagine the pain Byakuya was in even if he made no sound or acted as if he even felt it. Trying to ignore that pain Orihime now faced another danger. "Heal yourself Inoue Orihime." Byakuya ordered without taking his eyes from the giant spider in front of them.

Orihime healed Byakuya s back before she concerned herself with her own healing which surprised Byakuya. "I thought I told you to heal yourself." He said but kept his eyes riveted to the spider creature.

Orihime continued healing Byakuya glancing every so often at the spider. "I will but your wounds are worse." She replied as she healed Byakuya.

Byakuya was astounded to hear that coming from a Human considering he could sense her pain; yet she ignored it to heal him first. Byakuya was even more surprised to feel his reiatsu rise as Inoue Orihime healed him.

Orihime couldn t tell if the spider woman was sleeping or not; she just wasn t moving which made Orihime even more nervous. Byakuya s healing took less time then Orihime thought it would, but unlike Ichigo it didn t repair the damage to his clothing.


	12. Chapter 12

Spiders have webs, where is her web? Orihime thought as she began to heal herself. "Captain Kuchiki, all spiders have webs, I don t see any." She said in a whisper cautiously as she continued looking around.

The spider turned her head and looked at Orihime; "Very observant of you, and a healer at that! "The spider woman s smooth voice said" I wondered what the woman looked like that Lord Aizen wanted so badly he d risk the King s wrath to obtain. I never thought I d be lucky enough to lay eyes on you though never thought you d get this far."

The spider turned her head toward Byakuya; "You ve even brought me a gift." The spider s voice turns sultry; "A really nice gift at that."

Byakuya stood listening as the creature changed from a spider into a beautiful woman before his eyes. The realization struck Byakuya hard the woman standing before him was Hisana; my wife? She held her hands out beckoning to him to come to her.

Just as Byakuya would have stepped forward toward the Hisana in front of him; Orihime grabbed Byakuya s sword arm breaking his attention on the vision before his eyes to look down at her kneeling form beside him. An explosion echoed through the entire area jolting the land and shaking the cave.

Orihime nearly fell backward into the light and would have if Byakuya hadn t yanked her with him to the wall of the cave a safer distance from the light. The spider woman became wild eyed as she spoke; "Impossible; who in their right minds would break into the Underworld? Who would want to do such a thing?"

Byakuya and Orihime felt the massive spirit pressure headed their direction. "Ichigo;" Orihime said as if pained by it as she felt his presence, but he wasn t alone and she could feel that too. "Ulquiorra s with him;" she said as if shocked.

The spider woman looked at Orihime; "Come for you have they? They are stupid and foolish to think they can just walk into the Underworld as if they owned it; even for you. If the daylight doesn t kill them Lord Aizen will." The spider woman laughed at Orihime s pained expression.

Byakuya looked at Orihime sensing her spirit pressure fluxuating drastically. "Orihime, you must keep your faith in our abilities. You must believe in us no matter what."

The spider woman laughed again only this time it sounded hideous; "Yes girl keep believing in stupid people and you ll end up right where you are right now anyway. Men think they are so smart and so strong; yet are nothing. Do you protect this woman because you think her pretty?"

The spider woman laughed again; "Look at the woman again; go a head look." She ordered. Orihime stood before him hunched over with long drab grey hair and raw sores all over her face and body oozing puss.

Byakuya turned back toward the spider woman; "I see." Byakuya said with more confidence then he had earlier. "Your webs are merely webs of deception; Living your miserable existence here in the Underworld as a Black Widow because you deceived everyone around you before taking pleasure in killing them yourself in life."

Standing before Byakuya once more was Hisana again beckoning him to come to her. "For your defilement of the memories you now place before me you shall die." Byakuya lifted his arm pointing his fingers toward the spider woman s last location and white lightening shot from his fingers. " Hado number four;Byakurai" the lightening came from Byakuya s fingertips.

The hideous blood curdling scream told Byakuya he d hit his mark before the vision of his beloved wife even disappeared. When the dust settled the creature was no where to be seen; Byakuya scanned the walls for any cracks she might have crawled into but couldn t find any.

Orihime couldn t take anymore; she was beyond exhaustion as she slumped into darkness on the floor against the wall. She didn t even stir as Byakuya picked her up in his arms and carried her to the back of the cave where the spider woman had been and laid her on the ground.

Byakuya was pensive as he stood guard over Orihime. He knew he d almost fallen into that web of deception woven by that creature. In knowing how that experience made him feel Byakuya looked at Orihime wondering just how she really was coping with the Underworlds brand of torture on her; being human. Having feelings or emotions weren t something Byakuya was accustomed to; yet he felt compassion for Orihime.

Hearing a noise Byakuya sensed rather then saw the spider behind him; he moved before the spider s massive leg could sewer him; drawing his sword. What Byakuya thought was a wall was another illusion. "Did you think those tricks would be enough to kill me? Foolish man; none of your kind has ever been able to see what s right in front of your faces."

Orihime hadn t moved and was too close to the spider woman for comfort. As if reading Byakuya s mind the spider woman placed a leg at Orihime s head. "Yes I think you understand. Put that stick down or I will kill her."

Byakuya released his sword at the same time pointing his other hand at the creature; "Sai" he said; binding the spiders legs behind its back. Byakuya shunpoed to Orihime picked her up and shunpoed out of the spider woman s reach; stopping only long enough to retrieve his sword.

Once assured Orihime is safe Byakuya placed a shield around her then faced a now angry spider woman. "You are mistaken if you think your powers are anywhere near mine. I don t know how you survived the Kido but I promise you won t survive this." Byakuya said then turned his sword to face vertically with its tip pointing toward the sky; "Scatter Senbonzakura"

The screeching noise the spider woman made as the multitude of blades sliced through her was nearly deafening. As the sound echoed through the land it was heard in all corners of that area of the Underworld.

Once sure the spider woman was dead this time Byakuya took down the shield he d placed around Orihime. He was concerned about Orihime since she hadn t woken up through that noise the spider woman had made. Seeing Orihime was breathing evenly and rhythmically he surmised she was just that exhausted.

Orihime suddenly sat straight up breathing hard and fast; "He s coming." Orihime said in a small voice. Before Byakuya could ask he was struck from behind and bound in chains. Orihime jumped up but she too was once again chained.

The creature stood a good head taller then Byakuya. His head resembled that of a human with two huge horns; one on either side of his white skull. The eye sockets were black but his eye balls were a white in contrast; otherwise there were no defining features. Its muscles from the skull down it wore like skin over its entire body. Its only clothing was a loin cloth.

The creature yanked Orihime toward him so hard she slammed into his massive body and it laughed. "Lord Aizen awaits you human." The creature grabbed Orihime with one large claw hand then took Byakuya in the other. "Lord Aizen will be surprised with his new present." The creature laughed again as he went to the outer edge of the cave and leaped.

The creature expanded large wings allowing him to fly at speeds beyond the imagination. It seemed they no sooner left the cave then they were inside a partial apartment on top of a tall sky scraper. Orihime remembered this place from earlier.

Aizen s voice sounded amused as he spoke. "Well, I am surprised. Captain Kuchiki, it is so nice of you to join us for the ceremony. I must admit you weren t the one I was expecting to see. Chain Captain Kuchiki over there on the wall where he will be able to see the entire ceremony; when I m done with Orihime you will be my gift to my loyal subjects."

Byakuya, still wrapped in the chains he was brought to the skyscraper in was placed on a wall to hang from the chains facing the interior of the room. The room was a good size one that may have been a living room at one time overlooking the city in which it stood.

The room now resembled a torture chamber one would find in an ancient dungeon somewhere. All types of whips, rods and blades adorned the surrounding existing walls while in the center was a stone table that had been well used in the recent past for other sacrificial ceremonies and heavily stained with blood.

Orihime was carried to the table and chained down to it with arms and legs spread apart. Although Orihime tried to fight her way out the creature was too strong and she gained nothing. The creature laughed hideously at Orihime s feeble attempts to escape him.

The creature that stepped out from the shadows spoke; "There is no escape for you Orihime Inoue." The voice was Aizen s but the creature standing before Orihime didn t look like the Aizen she knew.

This creature was tall like Aizen but it had the head of something born of nightmares. Its forehead was wide and protruded out from its actual face with two very sharp horns, one on either side of the top of its massive head. The top of his head had splotches of long brown hair in various areas otherwise bald. The whites of the eyes were black with sickly yellowish eyeballs. Its nose resembled that of a pig s nose and its mouth like that of a snake s. Its skin looked to be leathery like a lizard s skin.

Its long thick neck went into broad muscular shoulders. Its arms just as muscular narrowed into delicate looking hands with really long curving nails that looked like many sharp blades. Its massive chest tapered to a thinner waist and hips which were supported by strong muscular legs. Its feet resembled those of a lizard s as well. Orihime briefly wondered if he could shed his skin as easily as a lizard too before turning away from the ugly beast standing before her.

Aizen laughed; "Yes you can see me can t you; the form I have now." He taunted Orihime; "It is said that only the pure of heart and body can bear witness to my form and know my true identity."

Aizen caressed Orihime s cheek with one hand as he continued to taunt her. "Your purity will give me back what was stolen from me Orihime, and together we will rule all the worlds." The words were said with a fluid sweet tone designed to mesmerize Orihime.

Aizen s proclamation stunned Byakuya whose eyes went wide; "Aizen you make promises you can t keep. We both know you ll never share your power or authority with anyone." He realized Aizen s intention is seduction with a voice designed to calm and infiltrate Orihime s senses. "You d already admitted you don t need anyone; does your deceit know no limits?"

Byakuya Kuchiki couldn t see Aizen s new form; he saw Aizen as an old man, bald and stooped over as if he hadn t much longer to live. Aizen laughed as he looked at Byakuya Kuchiki; "What do you think you see Captain Kuchiki? Do you see an old dieing man perhaps? Rest assured I m far from it. Would you like to see what Orihime sees?" Aizen taunted Byakuya Kuchiki. "Do you want to see the real me Byakuya Kuchiki? Do you think your simple little brain could comprehend it?"

Suddenly Aizen changed shape and form before Byakuya s very eyes and stood just as Orihime sees Aizen. Byakuya Kuchiki looked upon a massive demon of the very depths of hell itself. "I see; you have become the king of the Underworld then."

Aizen laughed a loud hideous laugh that sounded throughout the realm. "As far as the eye can see and beyond are my loyal subjects. They understand my power and will do anything I say without question. Only the strong, those not afraid to take chances climb the ladder to success here. The weak will always serve their masters without question and they all serve me."

Byakuya Kuchiki looked upon Aizen with distain; "You break laws and commit the forbidden; you truly have fallen, Aizen."

Aizen s tone once again became filled with amusement as he spoke. "Who s laws Kuchiki; the Soul Society s who think they have the right to make and to break any law that suites them? Have you forgotten how easy it was for me to convince everyone, including yourself to kill Rukia; your very own sister? No one questioned the validity of the laws; they just did what they were told by people they didn t even know. A death ordered for a miner infraction that should have been no more then a reprimand; yet not one person questioned such an order until I asked what others thought about such an order." Aizen s voice became stern; "Until I asked others if they thought the order was fair and just! Only then did others begin questioning the orders sent down from Central 46."

Byakuya Kuchiki remembered all too well the internal hell he d gone through not knowing what to do. "The orders didn t come from Central 46, they came from you." Byakuya spat back.

Aizen laughed again; "No one knew that at the time now did they? As far as anyone knew those orders came from Central 46 and because of that no one questioned it; and that s my point. Not one person could think for themselves. Not one person in the whole of Gotei 13, not the captains, vice captains or even the 3rd seats ever realized the injustice of the order; even though I kept changing the date and moving it up."

Although Aizen was telling the truth to a degree he omitted the fact that those were not his true reasons for doing what he d done. His reasons were purely selfish reasons; he wanted the Hogyoku that was lodged in Rukia s body in order to become a god and kill the reigning king of the Soul Society and get rid of the Soul Society once and for all.

Orihime felt a sadness growing within Byakuya Kuchiki at Aizen s words giving her the courage to speak. "That wasn t your reason for the cold blooded murders you committed Aizen. If those were your reasons you wouldn t have had to murder anyone to make your point; nor would you command complete obedience to your every will and whim here"

Aizen turned toward Orihime who still had her head turned away from him; "I didn t tell you to speak did I Orihime?" he said walking back toward her.

Byakuya Kuchiki hearing Orihime s words snapped out of his revere. "Does the truth hurt Aizen?" He goaded Aizen trying to get his attention away from Orihime. "Everyone knows the real reasons behind your actions Aizen; it s no secret. Fact is you lost the war "

Aizen spun around to face Byakuya Kuchiki; "I lost the war? Is that what you really think?" Aizen laughed for several moments before speaking again. "I lost a battle nothing more." Then with a deadly voice Aizen stated; "The war will end when I have complete control over all domains or I am dead; but since I am immortal I can t die can I?" Aizen laughed and it was even more hideous sounding then before.

Orihime closed her eyes as the truth of Aizen s words vibrated through every fiber of her being. Aizen hadn t reached godhood but if he was immortal now it will make him even more dangerous then before. His ability to twist words and circumstances to suit his desires and wants was frightening.

"I must have faith. I must believe that that what Ichigo will come and save me again? Why must I always rely on Ichigo?" Orihime thought as she began to slide into despair. Just then the daylight began to disappear behind the horizon bringing back the strange pinkish orange sky and drenching everything in waves of heat.

Aizen turned toward Orihime; "It s time Orihime Inoue; time for you to become mine." He said in an ominous voice that sent chills down her spine; yet the entire realm heard. "Light the candles for all to see." Aizen ordered his minions as he stood next to the stone table Orihime was chained to.

"Behold my loyal subjects; I have the most precious jewel of mankind. It truly is a pity mankind didn t know what they had in their possession." Aizen said as Orihime rose from the table. The chains to her wrists seemed to be tethered somewhere above as they moved forcing her to stand on the stone table. The chains around her ankles remained tightly to the table only allowing enough give for her to stand.

"Let me show you the currant state the land of the living is in since we have acquired their jewel." Something like invisible television screens appeared showing various states of chaos throughout Karakura Town. The screens were just like the ones Ulquiorra used a while back to show her the danger her friends were in; Orihime realized.

Orihime felt sick; she never wanted anyone to hurt or be hurt and least of all because of her. Without warning; through deep seeded grief and pain Orihime s powers released dissolving her bounds and she jumped off of the tower. "Inoue;" Byakuya Kuchiki yelled and Aizen laughed.


	13. Chapter 13

Aizen s laughter was cut short as a white hand solidly connected with his face sending him sailing through the air like a rag doll. Screams were heard coming from all directions and a dark figure swooped upward onto the skyscraper carrying Orihime in his arms.

Byakuya Kuchiki was shocked to see Ulquiorra in this release. He d never seen this man before recently, but even seeing him in his first release was powerful; this was raw energy and much more powerful then he d thought possible. Kurosaki Ichigo killed this man? Byakuya thought to himself.

With one hand Ulquiorra ripped the chains from around Byakuya Kuchiki but before anything else could be done one of Aizen s minions; the one that took Byakuya and Orihime from the cave attacked Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra released Orihime and pushed her into Byakuya as he fended off the attack and prepared to counter. Swords clashing could be heard from all directions around the skyscraper as Ulquiorra s joined in to the sounds of the hellish night as winged creature fought winged Ulquiorra; both appearing as if they both belonged there.

As Ulquiorra moved the fight away from Byakuya and Orihime another sneaking up from the opposite direction about to lunge for Orihime found him self incased in ice. Surprised by the new arrival both Byakuya and Orihime turned in time to see him become an ice cube; Rukia, Orihime exclaimed as she turned to see her friend standing near the edge of the tower.

Byakuya was just as surprised to see Rukia as Orihime. Suddenly everyone else arrived on the tower and Byakuya furrowed his eyebrows." Captain Commander sent you here?" Byakuya questioned.

Rukia began to answer but before she could utter a word Captain Hitsugaya answered " We didn t give him a chance to say go or stay once Kurosaki Ichigo and Ulquiorra busted the sealed door open we all just followed them in. "He then looked around the room and grimaced.

"Yada yada the old man Yama told us we were going after Ichigo, Rukia and Kenpachi. By the time we got to them these Arrancars showed up. We were told to go after them and they came down here so we were just following orders." Shunsui Kyoraku stated in his laid back voice.

Byakuya Kuchiki didn t know exactly how to feel about that bit of information; he d never seen the entirety of the Gotei 13 take matters into their own hands like this before." I see" was the only response he could give under the circumstances.

Byakuya Kuchiki understood all too well what they were saying; he d done something similar for Rukia and Renji when Orihime was kidnapped the first time and taken to Hueco Mundo. This was on a completely different scale; these were captains, vice captains, third seats and more. A scale so large it was almost unfathomable; certainly unheard of in the entire history of the Gotei 13.

That didn t stop the enemy though because they came up the tower from all directions. The Gotei 13 s hands were full as Byakuya joined in the battle keeping close to Orihime.

The sound of battle filled the air as they all engaged in fighting. The enemy seemed easy enough to kill but they just kept coming; there seemed to be no end to them.

Aizen and Ichigo as well as Ulquiorra and his winged foe battled in the sky around the tower; at times crossing each others paths. It was the first time Aizen fought non stop without pausing to carry on a conversation or make threats. Swords clashed like lightening in the sky creating thunderous sounds in all directions.

Ichigo wasn t all that surprised to see just how hideous looking Aizen had become since their last encounter. Aizen turned out to be a soulless being with no room for any feelings for others. Power and glory were his only goals in the end and it consumed him.

Aizen destroyed all his own reasons for becoming what he had to begin with; leaving him with nothing but the want and need of power and glory.

Aizen had turned cold in every way imaginable and more. He sold his very soul for power and glory he never actually obtained, and never will if Ichigo has anything to say abut it. The fact Aizen intended Orihime to be sacrificed to him enraged his moral being. Ichigo didn t want to think of what would have happened to Orihime much less to Karakura Town had they been much later in getting to that tower. Just the fact Aizen would do such a thing only proved how low Aizen had fallen.

Orihime saw both Ichigo and Ulquiorra as they battled in the sky above her to either side of where she stood and she began hoping and praying for them both; silently at first. Both Ichigo and Ulquiorra took major hits from their foes as Orihime watched. Others near by heard the sound and looked up as well.

Orihime felt sick that all of them had come here to save her" Please please don t die. I don t want any of you to die on my account. "Her small voice rang out like a giant bell to everyone. "Please don t die."

Orihime s voice gave every individual of the Gotei 13 as well as her friends Uryuu Ishida and Chad Yasutora along with all of the Arroncars that came on her behalf added strength and a strong will to succeed. Uryuu knew Orihime s power, he d seen it before with Ichigo; but now he felt it too. Now Uryuu understood what he was fighting for; they all did.

This time Aizen did laugh and it was a horrendous evil sound." I am immortal. I can t be killed. Sooner or later you all will die here and Orihime Inoue will be mine anyway you fight a loosing battle."

Orihime wouldn t give up hope and kept praying anyway as her friends and others battled on. "Byakuya, get Orihime out of here, now. "Ichigo ordered. "Guys get them out the same way we came in." He ordered to the rest of their group.

Ulquiorra issued his own orders to his people." Let nothing touch the woman. we won t be far behind." Ulquiorra ordered as he continued his battle with the unnamed winged foe.

Orihime gasped; she didn t want to leave without either of them. Before she could protest Byakuya grasped her arm" Keep your faith in them Inoue. Keep praying for them and they will be right behind us." Byakuya instructed her as he placed an arm around her keeping his sword in the other. "It is time we take our leave of this place."

As Byakuya shunpoed to the next nearest roof top others followed as best they could, battling as they went. Byakuya was being careful not to get too far ahead of the rest of the Gotei 13 and company. At some point though Byakuya knew he d have to allow someone else to lead since he had no idea of the way in which they entered; although Byakuya wondered if any of them had a keen sense of direction.

Aizen s voice rang out like a whip across the land" Do not let them escape! Kill them all and bring me my woman. "Aizen ordered his minions and followers." Orihime Inoue is not to leave here!"

Ichigo became furious" Oh Orihime will leave here alright; it is you that will never leave here again Aizen." Ichigo slashed out ruthlessly with his sword. "You said Orihime was a jewel of the living but you re wrong. Orihime is Hope born of love; making her priceless to us all; Human, Shinigami and Arrancars alike."

Ichigo slashed with even more force then before keeping Aizen on the defensive as he continued speaking. "She is the hope that stands in the face of danger and evil believing good shall prevail. Orihime is the faith that keeps us going, fighting for what s right; fighting against all odds. Orihime is the only one that can truly say she holds no hatred for even those she knows as the enemy; if they suffer she will heal them."

Ichigo slashed hard forcing Aizen to the ground with a crash; he did not follow Aizen but stood his ground." I can t expect someone like you to understand; someone who killed his own followers for not being strong enough for you; someone whose sole existence is for killing and nothing else."

Just then Ulquiorra dealt his foe a death blow and joined Ichigo. They looked like two opposites of the same coin; Ichigo and Ulquiorra. They looked as different as day and night, yet they were allies here in the Underworld. "Everything you taught us about loyalty so we would be loyal to you Aizen; were all lies. Those that were loyal to you were sacrificed by you or killed by your own hand because loyalty wasn t enough for you. Leaders inspire loyalty and loyalty inspires trust at least to some degree; but I believe you already knew that."

Ichigo shook his head" There s no reasoning with a man who has no reason anymore. Come on let s get Orihime home. "With that both Ichigo and Ulquiorra started off after their groups.

Neither Ulquiorra nor Ichigo said a word but both had a suspicious feeling that Aizen was already headed for Orihime and their party. It wasn t like Aizen to be so quiet and Ichigo knows that even though he dealt Aizen a good blow it wouldn t have knocked him out much less kill him. Both men headed toward Orihime at breakneck speeds hoping to get there before Aizen.

Byakuya stopped on a roof top waiting for more then just Uryuu and Rukia to catch up to them when a huge reiatsu seemed to materialize in front of them. Before anyone in the group could react Ichigo and Ulquiorra with a thunderous sound crashed into Aizen sending all three of them into a mountain side crushing Aizen between them and the mountain.

Although Ulquiorra had no where near the strength Ichigo had; the sheer speed between the two was enough to throw Aizen temporarily into shock. Unfortunately the shocked state was short lived as Aizen came out swinging. Ulquiorra was no real match for Aizen and Ichigo knew it too. "Ulquiorra get them out of here." Ichigo ordered Ulquiorra as they both dodged a fist.

Ulquiorra nodded and left for Orihime and her escorts. As much as Ulquiorra would love to have given Aizen some things to think about their mission was to get Orihime out of here safely and in one piece; so Ulquiorra decided to leave Aizen to Ichigo while he got the rest of them out of that hellish nightmare.

The Underworld was filled with hatred and vile murderous intent. No one there was afraid of dieing; fact is many welcomed the chance to die thinking they would escape the Underworld s painful existence only through death. In truth those living here never escape their sentences. The souls here are here because of major atrocities they committed during their life in the world of the living. These souls will never be reborn because what they did was unforgivable and they can never truly die. They will live an eternity in this hellish pit of their own making.

Ulquiorra scooped Orihime into his arms causing Byakuya to stare at him for a moment." I believe you may be able to keep up with me Shinigami." Ulquiorra told Byakuya before turning to the others behind him. Taking a deep breath Ulquiorra set off a cero into the crowed." Let s go." His voice rang out.

Some of the Shinigami wasn t too thrilled about Ulquiorra s way of handling the massive crowed considering there was no warning; seeing he had Orihime in his arms they decided to let it go and follow behind. They all got the feeling Ulquiorra wasn t going to stop until he reached the land of the living; unlike Byakuya, and many might get left behind.

Amazingly enough Ulquiorra did go further then Byakuya did but he stopped for the majority of them to catch up while Grimmjow took others and doubled back to assist. It was more coordinated then it looked and certainly not what one would have expected from the Arrancars. It spoke volumes for their new king and how he trains his people.

As the stragglers caught up Grimmjow reported to Ulquiorra" Kurosaki Ichigo is keeping Aizen at bay but they re not far behind us."

Ulquiorra merely nodded and headed off again; just like before Ulquiorra at least doubled the traveling distance between each stop making their traveling distance longer each time. With Grimmjow and the Arrancars shooting ceros so the others can catch up faster their exodus seemed to be moving along smoother then anticipated. Of coarse Ichigo engaging Aizen in battle and keeping him from advancing quickly did wonders in that assistance.

Where Ulquiorra would have made his final stop he continued moving forward signaling Grimmjow to double back with his people to assist the others. It didn t take long and Ulquiorra never looked back as they ascended upward through the gapping hole in the massive broken gate of the Underworld.

Urahara s eyes widened as Ulquiorra carrying Orihime followed by Byakuya, Uryuu, Rukia, Chad carried by another Arrancar, Renji followed by dozens of others within moments. Without warning Ulquiorra sat Orihime on the ground turned and headed back through to open gate. Captain Commander Yamamoto quietly watched the procession of Shinigami and allies pour through the opening back into the world of the living.

Urahara moved to stand next to Orihime" Are you alright Orihime?" He asked looking intently at Orihime as if waiting for something. Instead of answering Urahara Orihime folded her hands as she silently prayed for them to get out safely; Urahara smiled and watched the broken gate for the rest of them to materialize from within the Underworld.

As the stragglers came pouring out of the hole along with the majority of the Arrancars the distant clashing of swords could be heard advancing. They all felt the massive reiatsu headed their way. Ichigo had been in battle with Aizen throughout most of their journey, Orihime knew Ichigo has got to be worn out by now. Please Ichigo don t die. Come back to us Ichigo. Orihime repeated those words over and over.

Suddenly there was a massive explosion and the sound of swords clashing stopped. Orihime along with all of the others now standing in the world of the living as well waited with bated breath, wondering who would come through the broken gate. They only had to wait a few minutes but those few minutes seemed to take forever to those waiting on the outside.

Ichigo and Ulquiorra broke through the opening simultaneously and stopped several feet above it s opening to look down. Urahara and the Captain Commander Yamamoto moved to within range of the opening." Everyone, stand back now; I wouldn t want anyone to get hurt now after all you ve been through. "Urahara stated to the crowed as he stuck his cane into the ground near the broken gate.

Ichigo and Ulquiorra sensed rather then saw Aizen coming; simultaneously as if they had all rehearsed it Ichigo shouted Getsuga Tensho as Ulquiorra shouted Cero Oscuos while Captain Commander unsheathed his sword and shouted Ryuujin Jakka and Urahara said words that totally got lost in all of the commotion that seemed to transpire all at once.

The ground exploded, the rocks turned to molten lava that poured into the broken gate then suddenly another gate appeared to take the place of the broken one. Aizen s voice rang out through it all like a whip cracking through the air." Do you think this will stop me? You fools. I will follow your every move Orihime Inoue. I will haunt your very presence. I will be next to you where ever you go and with you in what ever you do. You can t escape me; none of you can. I will be with your children, grand children and so on; there is no escape for any of you."

Then the gate sealed Aizen in the Underworld once more. Orihime was unaware of her frightened look or that she had her hands around her throat protectively. Orihime was also unaware that she was almost as white as Ichigo s body or that she had begun to tremble. Weak from hunger and frightened by Aizen s threats; yet knowing all the people she loved were safe Orihime collapsed to the ground as darkness claimed her.


	14. Chapter 14

Urahara provided several large tents for shelters along the perimeter of the newly sealed gate. One of which Orihime was placed into with Unohana to see to her healing and Soifon along with several of her guards to protect Orihime. One tent was being used as a meeting hall where all of the other captains, Urahara, Tessai, Ichigo and Ulquiorra met with Captain Commander Yamamoto.

Captain Commander looked thoughtful as the last of the verbal reports were stated. "This is not ended" he proclaimed. Aizen did not take Inoue Orihime through this gate to the Underworld." He paused for several moments in thought before continuing" From what you say I believe Aizen s new manifested appearance is a testament to how far he has fallen."

Captain Commander paused to allow that to soak into every ones thoughts" Judging by Aizen s threats he intends to continue pursuing Inoue Orihime. Tessai, this ceremony they described do you have any idea of Aizen s intention?"

Tessai s look was grim as he answered" From the descriptions of the room I d say Aizen has mastered the forbidden arts. There are several different ceremonies he could have successfully pulled off there and many more forbidden outcomes with them. It is hard to pinpoint just one."

That statement makes everyone groan." Aizen s reasons for wanting Orihime are obvious" Captain Commander Yamamoto states" Not only does she have a direct affect on the people of the world of the living but an affect on Hueco Mundo as well as our Shinigami world."

Urahara shook his head" Perhaps but there is more to it then that. I believe it has to do with her abilities. Any innocent female with a positive attitude would suit the purposes" Urahara fell silent as his eyes widened in disbelief of where his thoughts were going.

Tessai looked at Urahara and his eyes too widened" He wouldn t!" Tessa and Urahara looked at one another in horrified understanding.

Ichigo had an ominous feeling about what they were thinking" Wouldn t what?" He demanded knowing Orihime s very life may be hanging on a thread by the looks on their faces." Urahara, Tessai, now is not the time for secrets. If you have any idea what Aizen is planning tell us damn it."

Urahara looked at Ichigo then around the room at the many faces standing in the circle." I can only think of one way Aizen could assure himself of obtaining Orihime s powers. It is a ritual expressly forbidden and can only be done using the forbidden arts. To pull it off he d most likely have to bind her to him in order to transfer himself."

Urahara paused unwilling to give voice to such a hideous act." Let s just say it is quite likely any offspring Orihime will have will obtain her powers as well." Urahara swallowed hard as his eyes narrowed to slits thinking about Aizen s most likely plan.

Captain Commander Yamamoto s eyes widened as he thoroughly grasped Urahara s meaning" Can such a thing be done?" His voice was one of astonishment.

Tessai looked at the Captain Commander with a mixture of emotions" Yes Captain Commander, it can. "He stated adamantly" At anytime between conception and before birth. He would then be reborn a living being with the soul of the damned, the knowledge he now possesses and powers to reject and negate anything and everything."

Everyone in the room gasped at Tessai s words as his meaning sank in. "Wait a minute you can t mean. you can t be serious! "Ichigo stammered over the words unable to say what was incredulous thoughts going through his mind.

Ulquiorra looked disconcerted and perplexed while Grimmjow began chuckling. "You mean to tell me that bastard can procreate? I think we should be able to fix that problem."

Ulquiorra s eyes widened as the full scope of the situation sank in with Grimmjows out burst. "I don t think procreation is the issue here Grimmjow, it is the method but not the means by which Aizen is intent upon using, if I am understanding this correctly."

That brought up another question without answers; can Aizen procreate? He wouldn t have to being he is now immortal but the possibility was frightening. So frightening Captain Commander took an audible deep breath before addressing everyone." We must keep Aizen physically sealed in the Underworld. He must not be allowed to roam freely throughout the world of the living. All of our efforts must be to this end. We will meet here tomorrow with ideas as to how to accomplish this task. Until this is accomplished we must remain here and keep a vigil over Inoue Orihime." Captain Commander pounded his cane on the floor of the room" Dismissed."

With these new orders other new orders went out as well; the guards watching over Orihime were changed to all female guards. No males were allowed within ten feet of Orihime at any time and never alone with her; this included the Captain Commander as well; the change in guard status was not made by the Captain Commander.

Rukia and Vice Captain Matsumoto alternated spending time with Orihime talking and walking about but Orihime was kept in the dark about why she was being treated as if she were some kind of criminal until one mid morning Rukia made a surprise visit and found Orihime in tears. "Orihime, what s wrong?"

Orihime wiped away her tears quickly but Rukia had stood in the room long enough to know Orihime was crying. "Rukia nothing I umm I was wondering when I can go home." She lied" I m sure my house is a mess and I had a few things I wanted to do before school started again."

Rukia shook her head" Don t lie to me Orihime; why were you crying just now?" She asked as she sat next to Orihime.

Orihime took a deep steadying breath" I I feel lik prisoner, Rukia. I m guarded everywhere I go and I m never allowed to be alone anymore."

Rukia smiled" You are not a prisoner Orihime." She tried to think of the best was to describe the situation without telling her anything to upset her. "Orihime, you mean a great deal to all of us. Think of it like this; you are being treated with the same respect and courtesy as any family member of a Royal Family Orihime. They are protected the same way as we are all protecting you right now."

Orihime s eyes widened" But I m not Royalty I m nothing special Rukia why am I being protected, and from whom?"

Rukia smiled shaking her head" Oh Orihime you truly don t know how special you are to us do you?" She leaned over and gave Orihime a hug." We are going to keep Aizen from ever being able to take you to that place ever again until then you are being guarded with the same protection we give to any Royal Family member."

Rukia had almost forgotten a package she had for Orihime that she d put on the floor beside her when she saw Orihime crying. She picked it up and handed it to her. "Here, this is for you. Uryuu Ishida handed it to me to give to you."

Orihime tore open the brown paper wrapping. Inside was a floor length dress made of blue satin. It was simple in design; a pair of matching blue slippers accompanied the dress. Both women sat and stared in amazement for moment before Orihime read the message that was on the inside; it read: I thought you would want to change into something more appropriate; knowing you can t leave yet I made this for you to change into. Uryuu Ishida.

Rukia chuckled" I think he gave it to me because no males are permitted to give you anything without it being inspected and approved first. I doubt he wanted to explain how he makes clothing to many people." Both women laughed at that" knowing many would look down on a man that could create such beautiful things. You get some rest. Later I ll have some water brought in so you can bathe and change. I ll come back and escort you to dinner tonight."

A few hours later a pitcher and a basin was brought to her room for her bathing. By mid afternoon Orihime was dressed and wanted to go for a walk; she didn t care where, Orihime just wanted out of the tent for a little while. When Orihime attempted to leave the tent the guards stopped her. "We ll have to get permission for this. Please wait here" one of the guards instructed.

It was a long wait about twenty minutes later Soifon returned with the guard. Soifon didn t hate Orihime but she just generally disliked all humans in general. Soifon didn t see the reason for all of this protection of a mere human, but pressured by a majority of the Captains and Vice Captains she saw no other choice in the matter.

The first thing Soifon noticed was the dress Orihime had on" Where did you get that?" She asked looking perplexed.

Orihime smiled" Rukia brought me a change of clothes do you like it?" She asked Soifon with a happy voice and a bow." I just want to go for a walk. I really need to get out of here for a little while."

Soifon wasn t impressed. In fact she didn t see the need for Orihime to go anywhere but she wasn t a prisoner anymore so she couldn t very well just flat out tell Orihime no; even though she d like to." Fine just don t stray far from camp." She turned and was gone before Orihime could thank her.

Orihime enjoyed walking along a small path through the trees listening to the birds singing. She d stopped to smell some of the wild flowers growing and admired the simple beauty of the land. More then anything she just enjoyed the freedom of the camp atmosphere for a bit. As Orihime and her guards drew near the camp Orihime noticed the birds in the area were silent. In fact the entire area seemed devoid of life and stopped.

One of the four guards with her looked at Orihime puzzled" What s the matter why have you stopped?" The guard looked around but couldn t figure out why Orihime looked so alert.

Orihime looked in the direction of the camp" They re already here." Orihime said in low tones. Although everything seemed to look alright in the camp and she could see people milling about doing different things the silence of the living things around them spoke volumes.

The guard next to her heard Orihime s dire announcement." Where I don t see anything?" The guard looked closer and around" You re just imagining things. Let s go."

Orihime and the guards hadn t gone maybe four steps when all hell broke loose in the camp. Hideous laughter screams of pain and death, people yelling and running in all directions. It looked chaotic in the camp. Orihime began to run toward camp but the guards stopped her. "It s not safe to go in there right now. "One of the four guards cautioned.

Orihime shook her head" It s safer there then out here alone." She shot back before continuing to run toward camp. Before she could get to it a dome like structure materialized cutting her off from the camp and sealing everyone else in. This force field was not like Hachigan s that she could just step through; it was different then her own powers use and no sounds could be heard through it either. Orihime tentatively touched the barrier; No she groaned.

Orihime clasped her hands and prayed for her friends; I must believe they will be alright. I have to believe Ichigo and them will defeat the enemy. Orihime repeated over and over as she leaned against the shield as if she could sense anything through it.

Orihime almost couldn t hear the sound of the footfalls of several people coming upon them from the side of the dome. The guards took their positions around Orihime who was slowly standing when they arrived.

Shuhei Hisagi, Izuru Kira, Ymichika and Ikkaku stopped just in front of the guards and stared perplexed at Orihime." We were out of the camp talking with our Zampaktous when this started" Shuhei Hisagi explained.

Ikkaku grimaced" Yeah and we re missing all the fun."

Orihime looked at the force field again; something s not right; they wouldn t limit themselves like this. We staid here in the mountains so we wouldn t be limited in the use of the powers should Aizen attack again. Orihime thought as she looked back at the four standing opposite her guards. They sounded right but their expressions don t match how they should be feeling if they truly were upset about not being able to fight.

Kira looked at the field then back at Orihime" I think we should find someplace to hide you Orihime." He said and the other three agreed.

Orihime placed her hand on the force field again only this time she took a deep breath" I hope you can do this Tsubaki. Koten Zanshun I reject" Orihime thought with all her hope in her feelings that her friends didn t put this here but her enemies who are mere feet from her at this very moment. If she didn t get to her friends she would be captured yet again.

Tsubaki shot out from her hair pin and dove directly for the shield keeping her from everyone else. The brightness of the collision made them all shield their eyes. The four standing opposite Orihime s guards lunged for Orihime as the shield broke.

At the same time Ichigo and others finished breaking the shield where Tsubaki weakened it to reach Orihime; she quickly ran through the opening at the exact same time. Orihime stumbled to a halt realizing Ichigo passed her but was held firm by Byakuya Kuchiki who saw her first pulling her away from the opening. Soifon quickly joined Orihime and Byakuya with more guards. Nodding his head to Soifon Byakuya Kuchiki relinquished his grip on Orihime and left to join the others.

Overwhelmed by the mass of Shinigami bursting through the opening they were quickly killed. Once dead they reverted to their original hideous looks before burning to ashes where they lay. The Shinigami were shocked by their foes appearance before death. The four shocked the most were the four the Underworld imposters imitated.

Shuhei Hisagi, Izuru Kira, Ymichika and Ikkaku looked at one another apprehensively before looking at the others." How did that bastard do that?" Ikkaku demanded as he watched the bodies turn to ashes.

Shuhei Hisagi shook his head and looked through the opened hole Orihime made through the shield to get through." More importantly how was she able to know the difference?"


	15. Chapter 15

Shuhei Hisagi had a good point because even the guards admitted they didn t know until the four attacked that it wasn t them, but by that time Orihime had already begun breaking the barrier. In fact all four guards agreed that it was Orihime s actions that caused the imposters to attack.

Urahara spent the rest of the afternoon examining and evaluating the shield Aizen s people used to separate Orihime from them. What bothered him most was that there was no warning and no sign of any kind they were here in the land of the living. There was no noise alerting them to their presence and no spirit pressure either. One minute everything was fine and the next they were incased in a shield that completely surrounded the entire camp.

By evening Urahara had the shield figured out and down completely. His expression was grim when he joined everyone for the evening meal. Urahara looked up at Orihime" Your powers have grown beyond what I believed they d be Orihime Inoue. Tell me how did you know they were imposters?" Urahara asked the question everyone was asking silently.

Orihime looked at the table and not at any one person." I it just it didn t feel right." She simply answered. As she spoke those words Orihime s eyes narrowed. Staring at the table Orihime thought of all the things she d noticed that told her things were wrong.

Only those that knew Orihime well grew concerned with the serious look Orihime s eyes took on as she silently stared at the table." Orihime, get that look off your face. We will defeat Aizen, trust me" Ichigo said firmly with that determined look in his eyes.

Orihime smiled sadly" Ichigo, I m afraid this time it will be a constant and never ending war. We can win most of the battles of that I have no doubt. The war Ichigo will go on so long as Aizen remains alive and he s becoming stronger. This will be a very long war."

Urahara nodded" I m afraid Orihime Inoue is right. He is using his powers of Kyouga Suigetsu to its fullest potential; manipulating people everywhere. Aizen is using the power of Kyouga Suigetsu to produce images using our eyes and thoughts using our minds to manipulate everything around us. By watching us Aizen learns what we fear most then uses that fear to manipulate us."

That news was not what any of the Shinigami had hoped to hear and they all groaned inwardly as the realization of the scope of this situation becomes apparent." The shield didn t make sense at first and I ve been trying to figure it out but thanks to Orihime s observations I believe Aizen was testing Orihime s strength and will power. Aizen most likely thought Orihime was the weakest link in this group."

Urahara looked at Orihime and smiled" You said it didn t feel right Orihime it wasn t what you saw was it?"

Orihime looked at Urahara thoughtfully" I d only met those men once or twice before and although I couldn t tell the difference really but something didn t feel right about them. Their words didn t match their expressions from what I remembered of them. Just like that shield didn t make any sense; we staid out here so we wouldn t have to worry about using the powers if need be, so there was no reason for the shield to be there." Orihime shrugged as she smiled slightly." It just didn t feel right."

Urahara smiled back" Thank you Orihime you have been a major help here." Urahara took a deep breath before addressing everyone" I believe Aizen has completely mastered Kyouga Suigetsu, that with whatever powers he retained from the Hogyoku and his being immortal thanks to the Hogyoku we have to keep on our toes. We must learn to see from within our hearts as Orihime does or we may all end up dead."

Again this was not welcome news to many of the Shinigami. Captain Commander was the first to voice his opinion" Ridiculous! See with our hearts? Our laws..."

Ichigo cut the Captain Commander off sharply" Needs to be changed!" His voice was harsh and insistent." Rukia was nearly murdered because of your blind following of your damn laws. Are you going to sit there and tell me that you wouldn t have killed her over something so trivial. not to mention it wasn t even her fault or of her doing?"

Captain Commander Yamamoto s eyes widened" You young brat have no respect."

Ichigo stood facing Captain Commander Yamamoto" If you re asking me to respect a law that can t be questioned when someone s life is at stake no I can t. Don t you think Aizen knows your laws forward and backward? Do you think he won t manipulate things again to murder someone else if he wants using your laws to do it? And what are you just going to stand there and let him do it because of your damn laws?"

Captain Commander Yamamoto rose and hit the floor hard with his cane" Enough! I ll not be lectured by a young punk like you. These laws have been in existence from the beginning of time. The laws are clear and just for all..."

Ichigo interrupted sarcastically" Yeah? Well maybe you can sell that to Aizen who takes and manipulates your just laws, twisting the truth to look like a lie and a lie to look like the truth. As long as Aizen can manipulate people, things and circumstances your laws condemns everyone to certain death with no mercy and no forgiveness."

Captain Commander Yamamoto stomped his cane on the floor once more" Enough! I said. Time for talking is over. The laws remain as they have. I ll not tolerate anymore disrespect from a child like you."

Shunsui Kyoraku remembered another conversation very similar to this one only it was Jushiro Ukitake that asked Yamamoto a similar question to this." Yare, yare Yamajii Jushiro asked you a question a while back that you didn t answer who judges the rights and wrongs of the world?" He asked looking directly at Captain Commander Yamamoto.

Again Captain Commander Yamamoto smacked the floor with his cane." I said the time for talking is over! Concentrate your efforts on sealing Aizen in the Underworld if we can not kill him." He turned and left the room.

Captain Commander Yamamoto wouldn t budge from his ways and everyone pretty much knew that too. Most of the Captains and others fully understood what Ichigo meant and most of them agreed with him; but they were duty bound to obey their leader. Neither Ichigo nor any of those residing in the land of the living had any such obligation or burdens. They all knew and understood the perils of merely using their minds with Aizen s ability to control thoughts.

Right now they realized the more immediate danger should they fail in keeping Aizen in the Underworld; a greater disaster awaiting them all if Aizen actually gets his hands on Orihime. It would be bad if Aizen got a hold of any innocent female and was able to be reborn in human form again; but to obtain Orihime s powers in the process would be disastrous.

That night and for many long straight hours that proceeded after; Urahara worked until he d pass out from exhaustion to create a seal that would keep Aizen within the confines of the Underworld. Captain Kurotuchi Mayuri assisted from his laboratory in the Soul Society with direct communications to Urahara to develop the seal.

The next night Aizen made his move; an Underworld gate brazenly materialized in the middle of their camp. Orihime was surrounded by guards and kept in her tent. As Aizen and his grotesque army began to spill forth from the gate; Urahara, Byakuya Kuchiki and Tessai stood at three equal points forming a triangle with the gate as the center point and chanted. Ichigo, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Renji and others fought the army back into the gate; Nel and Rukia staid with Orihime as a final defense just in case their plan didn t work.

Orihime bowed her head and silently prayed as most all of her friends battled outside. It wasn t long before everyone heard Aizen s voice echoing off of the near by mountain walls from the Underworld gate. "It is foolish to resist; I will only crush you like the insects you are. Orihime!, is it your wish that your foolish mortal friends should die? If you wish to save them you have only to come with me."

Just as Aizen began to step out of the gate Urahara, Byakuya Kuchiki and Tessai s voices rang out above the din of shouting. Most of what they said mingled with the shouting; the words way of binding could be heard clearly through the massive sounds of the battle.

Then Aizen s voice was clearly condescending as he spoke" You can t be serious have you learned nothing yet? I can not be destroyed you fools... what? What have you done? No!" Aizen s voice began fading as if he were quickly moving away from the camp.

In the doorway of the gate it looked like a huge fireworks display as varied multi colored energy particles exploded. Most of those that had followed Aizen followed him back down; the rest were driven back through the gates or killed. The gat closed with a loud bang as if to signify an ending to this battle. Everyone but Urahara was cheering and wanting to celebrate; it was over.

While Shinigami, Humans and Arrancars celebrated their victory Urahara sat quietly staring into the bon fire deep in thought. Yes we ve won the battle for now but how long will it take Aizen to realize he still has the power to manipulate everyone within the land of the living? Once Aizen realizes that, how long will it take him to create chaos and havoc with the human s here in the land of the living? More importantly, how long will those chains hold Aizen; maybe three thousand years? I have to find a way to permanently stop Aizen; I just hope I ll have enough time to do it in before he completely destroys the land of the living.

They celebrated tonight for tomorrow everyone would be back in their own territories, each knowing this was a battle of the most unlikely Royal Alliance there would ever be and most likely will never be again. This was a battle that would probably never be recorded for the mere reason and fact that no one outside of those that were there would ever believe it.

The End

That's it folks. maybe I'll continue my story later, but for now consider it complete.


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